Stats: India’s spin bowlers, and how they have fared

Tags: India tour of Sri Lanka 2015, India, Sri Lanka, Amit Mishra

Published on: Jul 24, 2015

The recall of leg-spinner Amit Mishra to the Indian Test team, and the retaining of 35-year-old Harbhajan Singh to join the Test team in Sri Lanka has made many experts wonder whether India’s spin bowling cupboard is pretty much bare

The recall of leg-spinner Amit Mishra to the Indian Test team, and the retaining of 35-year-old Harbhajan Singh to join the Test team in Sri Lanka has made many experts wonder whether India’s spin bowling cupboard is pretty much bare. As the debate rages on, we take a look at how India’s spin bowlers who have been tried out in Tests in recent years have performed.


Amit Mishra: The veteran leggie has constantly been in and out of the side. In fact, he last played a Test for India in 2011, on the disastrous tour of England. He went wicketless in that Test, and was discarded immediately after. In 13 Tests, he claimed 43 wickets at a disappointing average of 43.3, with one five-wicket and one four-wicket haul. He will be hoping to make an impact in Sri Lanka in case he gets a chance to play.


Harbhajan Singh: The Punjab off-spinner was recalled for the Test against Bangladesh after a gap of nearly two years. He managed three wickets in the rain-marred Test. He was decent in the limited-overs series in Zimbabwe, claiming two wickets on a couple of occasions. His task will be cut out in Sri Lanka though.


Ravichandran Ashwin: He is the certainty to play in the side as the lead spinner. And, while the offie has been extremely successful at home, he has struggled especially in places likes Australia, England and South Africa. In 25 Tests, he has picked up 134 wickets, but his average has already crossed the 30 mark. Sri Lanka are good players of spin, but Yasir Shah proved that they too can be undone by good spin bowling? Can Ashwin deliver the goods? Time will tell.


Karn Sharma: The rookie leggie played in the Adelaide Test in Australia late last year, but looked totally raw. He claimed four wickets, but gave away 238 runs in the Test, never ever troubling the batsmen. The Test gave him a bowling average of close to 60. He was retained for the Bangladesh Test, but injury meant Harbhajan could make a comeback.


Pragyan Ojha: His is a strange case. The left-arm spinner has played 24 Tests, but not one of them has been outside the sub-continent. He has 113 wickets to his credit, with seven five-wicket hauls and one 10-wicket match haul at an average of 30.26. But, he had to be dropped after question marks were raised over his action. He has played a Test for India in a year-and-a-half.


Ravindra Jadeja: It is clear by now that Jadeja is not fit for Test cricket as a spinner. In 12 Tests, he has claimed 45 wickets averaging 30.4 with two five-fors. But, in the last few Tests, he has been completely ineffective leading to his sacking from the team.


-- By A Cricket Analyst

Related News