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Ashwin, Jadeja could revive horrors of 1956 for Australia
The demolition job R Ashwin did on New Zealand during the third Test means the Australian affliction — a distaste for offspin bowling, has now spread to become an
The demolition job R Ashwin did on New Zealand during the third Test means the Australian affliction — a distaste for offspin bowling, has now spread to become an Antipodean curse.
Ashwin has already caused Australia huge problems in India --- not quite as devastating as his Indore performance — but troublesome nevertheless. Actually, it was in Australia that Ashwin learnt a very good lesson about bowling. His first attempt was peppered with multiple variations resulting in his line and length suffering, which in turn provided easy pickings for the batsmen.
His second attempt was marginally more successful in the scorebook but the execution was a big improvement. He concentrated on spinning his off-break and relied more on subtle variation of pace rather than trying to turn the ball both ways. This provided more control and the batsmen were made to work harder for their runs.
This led to a much better performance against Australia when they toured India in 201213. Ashwin became a more confident bowler, exuding an aura that all good spinners possess. When added to his prowess with the bat — a solid middle-order run getter — he was on the road to the destination he’s now reached, a regular India match winner. The trouble Ashwin caused Australia in India was reminiscent of the mayhem that a number of other talented offspinners achieved.
AUSSIE INEPTITUDE
My first memory of Australian ineptitude against off-spin was a vivid one — Jim Laker taking 19 wickets in the 1956 Old Trafford Test. I was verging on teenager status and was devastated to see a picture of my idol Keith Miller tumbling head first out of his crease as he was beaten in flight by Laker.
Before collecting all 10 wickets in the second innings at Old Trafford, Laker had already achieved this rare distinction in Australia’s tour match against Surrey. Such was the turmoil in the Australia camp that when skipper and offspinner Ian Johnson attempted to rally his troops with an “anything he can do, I can do” speech, vice-captain Miller is reported to have raised his gaze from a form guide and responded; “Six-to-four you can’t.”
Another off-spinner to weave a spell over Australia batsmen was Erapalli Prasanna. In 1967-68 he took 25 wickets in only four Tests in Australia and then bettered it by one (in five Tests) in the return series in 1969-70. His performance in Australia has to be one of the outstanding achievements by a finger spinner in a country renowned for pitches that are much more responsive to wrist spinners.
Then, there was Harbhajan Singh’s tornado-like destruction in the 2000-01 series in India. Just when it appeared Australia would win their first series in India since the 1969-70 tour and complete their 17th successive Test victory, ‘The Turbanator’ struck. With six second-innings wickets at Kolkata, he turned what looked to be an Australia cruise to victory, into a crash of head-on proportions. Not satisfied with that performance, he turned in a similarly destructive one in Chennai and finished the three-Test series with an incredible 32 wickets. No wonder crowds began chanting, “Singh is King.”
Ashwin has already inflicted much pain on Australia as did Laker, Prasanna and Harbhajan before him. Consequently, his dominant performance in the series against New Zealand will send chills through Steve Smith’s squad. Ashwin’s 27 wickets (at 17.77) and Man-of-the-Series award against New Zealand could be viewed as a prelude to the main performance. In a few months’ time, Ashwin will face an Australia line-up traumatised by the portly left-arm Sri Lanka finger spinner Rangana Herath.
Ashwin’s spin bowling partner, left-armer Ravindra Jadeja, will be buoyed by Herath’s success. Not only does this not augur well for Australia’s batsmen with their distaste for spin bowling, it will also revive memories of 1956 and the destruction caused by Laker and his partner — the left-arm orthodox spinner Tony Lock.
