India's spin trick spells double trouble for Pakistan by AFP

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Event:

Pakistan in India 2004/05

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DateLine: 7th March 2005

 

The great Indian rope trick may have belonged to the realm of imagination, but not the spin trick which still puzzles and bewilders visiting batsmen.

 

Pakistan were left nonplussed in the New Delhi Test in 1999 when India's incredible leg-spinner Anil Kumble became only the second bowler in the game's history after Englishman Jim Laker to claim 10 wickets in a Test innings.

 

India have four fast bowlers to choose from for the first Test against Pakistan starting here on Tuesday, but cannot ignore their spin-twins - Kumble and Harbhajan Singh - for gaining an early advantage.

 

The old Indian trick - spinners bowling in tandem on friendly pitches with a cluster of close-in fielders - is still good enough to trap visiting batsmen and produce the desired result.

 

India skipper Sourav Ganguly has the luxury of leading a full-strength bowling attack, but will be forced to drop one or two of his pacemen to accommodate the spin duo on low, slow pitches.

 

Kumble is the fifth-highest wicket-taker in the world with 444 scalps in 92 matches and has already played match-winning roles against Pakistan. His 10-wicket haul is still the talking point of India-Pakistan contests.

 

Pakistani coach Bob Woolmer said his batsmen needed to apply themselves well against the Indian spin duo to sustain their chances of posting big scores.

 

"It will be a huge challenge to confront the likes of Kumble and Harbhajan," said Woolmer.

 

Kumble and Harbhajan may not allow Pakistani batsmen the luxury of playing long innings since both are capable of keeping unrelenting pressure with their subtle variations.

 

Kumble is a leg-spinner with a difference. He is not a big turner of the ball like Australian Shane Warne or Sri Lankan Muttiah Muralitharan, but has the skill to test batsmen with accuracy and disconcerting bounce.

 

And he is keen to maintain his vice-like grip on the Pakistani batsmen.

 

"I just want to go there, bowl, get wickets and hopefully win matches for my team," said Kumble, who bagged 15 wickets in three matches to help his team win their first Test series in Pakistan last year.

 

Harbhajan played only a supporting role when Kumble was removing one Pakistani batsman after another six years ago.

 

But the off-spinner has now developed into a match-winner in his own right. Harbhajan is the only Indian to grab a Test hat-trick and his 32-wicket haul was the key to India's stunning Test series win at home against Australia in 2001.

 

Nicknamed the "Turbanator" after his awesome performance against Steve Waugh's Australian side four years ago, the Sikh has been going from strength to strength and troubling batsmen with bounce, turn and variations.

 

Harbhajan has recently been cleared by the International Cricket Council after being reported for a suspect bowling action in the second and final Test in Bangladesh last year.

 

He has already claimed 189 wickets in 43 Tests and is improving with every match.

 

"I understand my role in the team and can't wait to begin my job of taking wickets," said Harbhajan.

 

That's not encouraging news for Pakistan who are set to face, not one, but two talented spinners.

(Article: Copyright © 2005 AFP)