The former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh feels that lot of batsmen in the team have been struggling against spin bowling in recent times because of the kind of wickets where Test cricket is played in India. According to him, there are more turning surfaces for Test cricket in India. As a result, home team batsmen have also struggled and lost their confidence.
Recently India lost to Sri Lanka by 2-0 in an away ODI series of three matches. This was the Men in Blue’s first ever bilateral one-day series loss to this island nation since 1997. A defining aspect of this series was the manner in which Sri Lankan spinners dominated Indian batsmen.
Harbhajan told Sports Tak that it is Indian spinning pitches during Test match which are causing all the problems for batsmen. He said (as quoted by India Today):
“We’ve started playing on pitches that turn a lot more. We wanted to win and we did win but we wanted to win in two and a half days.”
”I think, if we had produced normal pitches that started to turn from Day 3 and Day 4, we still would have won but the batters would have gotten time to settle in. And we wouldn’t be discussing the problems of our batters against spinners.”
“We dented the confidence of our batters because anybody get out (cheaply) on those pitches,” the 44-year-old went on to add.
Harbhajan Singh Said : "We've started playing on pitches that turn a lot more. We wanted to win and we did win but we wanted to win in two and a half days. I think, if we had produced normal pitches that started to turn from Day 3 and Day 4, we still would have won” (Sports Tak) pic.twitter.com/aCS1q0Slif
— Vipin Tiwari (@Vipintiwari952) August 31, 2024
In the one thousand years of Cricket history that have gone down in relation to India V Sri Lanka ODI series, Jeffrey Vandersay proved to have a fabulous outing taking home eight wickets in only two games.
He was followed closely by Dunith Wellalage who had an impressive total of seven wickets from his three matches and Charith Asalanka who also made his contribution as a spin bowler with six scalps in support.
“If we play on quality pitches, I believe no one can defeat India”- Harbhajan Singh
In Tests played on the Indian subcontinent, Harbhajan maintained a commendable record. He took 265 wickets in 55 matches at an average of 28.76, with 18 five-fors and four ten-fors to his name. The ex-India cricketer is of the opinion that the home team should not necessarily create excessively turning wickets for winning Test matches in their own backyard.
“If we play on good pitches, I don’t think anyone can beat India. The pacers that India have, the spin attack that there is, they would definitely win you Tests on Day 5 if not on Day 3. But if you play on good pitches, the batters will score runs, and their confidence will only go up when they score runs,” the Turbanator explained.
“I don’t think our batters have forgotten to play spin but the conditions have been such (in the last few years) that it has become almost impossible,” he concluded.
In 103 Test matches, Harbhajan has played for India and taken 417 wickets at an average of 32.46, including 25 five-fers and five 10-wicket match hauls. He ranks fourth among Indian bowlers in Test cricket history for most wickets.
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