Outclassed. Outgunned. Outthought. These three words best describe the difference between the South African and Indian spinners in the ongoing Test series. Not just in terms of skill, but the visiting side’s spinners were also superior in strategy and execution.
Where to start? Perhaps by examining the pace at which the Indian finger-spinning duo bowled, especially in the first innings in Guwahati. On a very slow deck, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar consistently bowled at over 92 kph, at times even touching 95–96 kph. Washington wasn’t far behind his spin partner when it came to firing it in at pace.
On a track offering more purchase for spinners, Jadeja and Washington might have dominated with his turn at pace. But in Guwahati, it was about imparting more revs on the ball and getting it to dip on the batter. Jadeja did slow his pace in the second innings, but it was too little, too late. No wonder the two finger spinners found the least amount of turn among all the spinners in the first essay.
What made it even more surprising was that the South African finger spinners, Simon Harmer and Keshav Maharaj, found more turn than even Kuldeep Yadav, the wrist spinner.
The Indian spinners also lagged behind their counterparts in terms of bowling smarts and tactical execution. To illustrate, Harmer at times extracted more turn, on other occasions relatively less purchase, and then he would usher in the slider. He also played mind games with the batter by subtly altering his lines and lengths.
Recently, in a press conference, Harmer said: “Sometimes you get onto turning wickets, you’re just trying to turn it more and more and more, and the skill lies in bowling a ball that doesn’t turn on a wicket that is turning. Obviously, I’ve got a lot more experience since the last time I was here.”
There is no doubt that both Jadeja and Kuldeep are spinners of pedigree. For Kuldeep, it is probably a case of not being in good rhythm. Meanwhile, Jadeja will go down in history as one of the finest Test all-rounders the game has seen. It’s just that his deadly combination of side-spin at pace and a few straighter ones doesn’t seem effective enough on decks that offer less assistance.
In a nutshell, the home side’s spin troika seemed to have lost their mojo through the course of the series, something you rarely observe in Indian conditions.
