Desperate Proteas call up Indian spinner

JOHANNESBURG: While local spinners struggled to give South Africa batsmen any decent practice in the nets ahead of the third ODI at Cape Town, the desperate home team called up an Indian off-spinner at their nets, albeit a failed first-class player, on Friday.

Ajay Rajput, a 34-year-old from Jabalpur, has played just one Ranji Trophy game. While he was in the scheme of things for his home state Madhya Pradesh from 2010-2013, he couldn’t cement his place.

His lone Ranji game was against Saurashtra in the 20122013 season.

Unable to make an impact at home, Rajput decided to ply his trade here, and for the past five years he has played in the JohannesburgPremierLeague,andhas already taken over 400 wickets.

“I got a call from the president of the local association here in Johannesburg. He said since the South Africans are struggling against spinners, I have to come to the nets and bowl at them. As you can see, they are struggling to play the spin of Chahal and Kuldeep,” says Rajput, who says he can bowl the carrom ball among other variations.

“I have been told to bowl all my varieties.”

He plays for Lenasia South Cricket Club, a team from the Lenasia locality just outside Johannesburg where people of Indian origin live.

“I get a lot of support from the chairman of my club and have been reasonably successful here. I come here for 2-3 months, and besides playing, do some coaching too.”

The South Africans have been so desperate that ahead of the last ODI in Cape Town, coach Ottis Gibson, who was a pace bowler, also tried his hand at spin bowling.

South Africa have to win the fourth ODI on Saturday to stay alive in the series against India who are currently leading 3-0 now. The hosts had won the Test series 2-1.

› I got a call from the president of the local association. He said that since the South Africans are struggling against spinners, I have to come to the nets and bowl at them AJAY RAJPUT, Indian spinner