Jadeja, Axar, Ajaz and Santner give series new twist heading into second Test
PUNE: Left-arm finger spin is easily the most preferred form of spin for captains against right-handed batters in Test cricket. Left-arm finger spinners can bowl attacking lines - with variations in flight, trajectory and length - around the wicket, bringing LBW into the equation.
They can also resort to negative tactics of bowling over the wicket and way outside leg-stump in red-ball cricket. The famous examples are of Ashley Giles against Sachin Tendulkar in 2001 and Nilesh Kulkarni in the Ranji Trophy final of 1997 against Delhi in Gwalior.
Of course, off-spinners bowling around the wicket can be far more tricky for the left-handed batters. When a right-handed batter faces a left-arm spinner around the wicket and off-spinner over the wicket, he can see the ball with his full visual arc.
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But the left-arm spinner's angle makes it more challenging due to the blind-spot situation. Plus the latter can bowl flattish lines more easily due to more flexibility in arm rotation and the angle of the wrist coming into play.
This left-arm advantage, besides his smartness, fielding and batting contributions, has made Ravindra Jadeja India's first-choice Test spinner.
Four left-arm spinners played the last Test in Bengaluru in the ongoing India-New Zealand series - Ajaz Patel, Rachin Ravindra, Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav. None of them was economical. Even off-spinners R Ashwin and Glenn Philips were not spared. Being a wrist spinner, Kuldeep got his share of rough treatment.
Despite having another left-arm spinner in their ranks in Axar Patel, India have added off-spinner Washington Sundar to the squad for the second Test in Pune.
India's South African assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate said here on Tuesday, "There are four left-handers in the New Zealand team. And we wanted someone who could take the ball away from them."
Ashwin, owner of 250-plus Test dismissals of left-handed batters, also bowls that line. But maybe he is not in peak form. Even Kuldeep takes the ball away from the left-hander. But being a wrist spinner, there is always concern about control and economy rate.
With the Pune pitch expected to assist spinners far more than in Bengaluru, NZ may consider playing Mitchell Santner. Definitely, there is history of Indian batsmen struggling against unfancied left-arm spin at home.
