Daredevils banking on the two leggies to tango
@KBrunt26
I never ever will get bored of watching Brendon McCullum or MS Dhoni bat!! #IPL2015 #PureClass
— Katherine
Brunt NEW DELHI: One doesn’t have to go too far, or too far back in time, to think of a successful spin bowling partnership. Together, Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh tormented batsmen from all over the world. Usually on dust bowls at home or nearby, but that’s another debate entirely.
It is not unusual for spinners to operate from either end. What is a rare sight, though, is leg-spinners bowling in tandem. The names that spring to mind all sported the Baggy Green cap in a format that’s otherwise all white. Clarrie Grimmett and Bill O’Reilly helped Australia win a dozen Tests in the 1930s. More recently, the Shane Warne-Stuart MacGill combine gave the side 15 Test wins.
Despite the success enjoyed by the Aussies, the strategy hasn’t found widespread acceptance, neither in the shorter formats nor in any other part of the world. Kumble, for instance, played only four Tests with Narendra Hirwani, and one each alongside Piyush Chawla and Amit Mishra.
That Mishra has repeatedly found himself bowling in tandem with another of his ilk – that too in the shortest format of the game – comes as quite a surprise. Together with Karn Sharma (and, admittedly, a clutch of quality pacers), he helped Sunrisers Hyderabad reach the IPL playoffs two seasons back and qualify for the Champions League Twenty20. Last year wasn’t so great though, and Mishra was dropped in favour of the younger Karn.
Having been offloaded by the Hyderabad outfit, Mishra is back where he started in the IPL. But once again, there is competition in the wrist-spin department. Back in 2008, though, he was Delhi Daredevils’ only spinner. This time, the team also has Imran Tahir. Mishra, though, doesn’t see a conflict. “We complement each other, learn from each other and support each other,” he said on the eve of Delhi’s match against Rajasthan Royals.
Along with the two leggies, Delhi can also bank on the offbreaks of skipper JP Duminy, who along with Tahir ensured that Sri Lanka progressed no further than the World Cup quarters. Together, Mishra and the two South Africans tightened the screws on CSK on Thursday — from 59/2 in six overs, the hosts could only manage 150.
That they failed to chase it down says a lot about Delhi’s batting. As far as the bowling unit goes, the adage holds – if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Just let the two leggies tango – with the bat, Delhi can only hope that the Indian with the biggest price tag comes to the party. KEY PLAYERS
YUVRAJ SINGH: With his price tag already weighing heavy on him, Yuvraj needs to come good very, very quickly. JAMES FAULKNER: The allrounder turned on the style when it mattered in a crisis situation against Punjab and is a valuable asset for the Royals.
HEAD TO HEAD Matches played
Delhi Daredevils won Rajasthan Royals won DD RR
14 6 8