Erapalli Prasanna, arguably the greatest off-spinner to play for India, doesn't agree with Harbhajan's defensive strategy, but backs the sardar to come good in big games
Erapalli Prasanna, arguably the greatest off-spinner to play for India, doesn't agree with Harbhajan's defensive strategy, but backs the sardar to come good in big games
Mahendra Singh Dhoni has promised 'a different Harbhajan Singh' as the World Cup kicks into higher gear.
Harbhajan is to lift his game when up against bigger sides. Good news. The minnows are history, now it's only South Africa and West Indies, followed by the knockout stages.
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| India's off-spinning great Erapalli Prasanna |
Dhoni's reason for Harbhajan going wicketless against the Netherlands on Wednesday was interesting. "The opposition is happy to just block Harbhajan out and make it tough for him to get wickets. We cannot have silly point and short leg that are needed for him. I don't want to have a forward short-leg in the group stage because I don't want a player to get injured. If he's bowling well, they are going after Yuvraj and that is probably why he is getting wickets," the Indian skipper said on Wednesday.
Picture this: Harbhajan bowled an around-the-wicket line, to a packed off-side field, cramping the right-handers for room. He varied his length, mostly short of a good length, to his infamous 'darters'. He rarely invited batsmen to drive down the wicket, was turning it into right-handers, but without a short leg or leg slip. His first four overs were from over-the-wicket, mostly turning in, and few away. Scalping a wicket with this strategy seemed impossible to the naked eye.u00a0
Erapalli Prasanna, arguably India's greatest off-spinner,u00a0 came down hard on Harbhajan.u00a0 "He has become very predictable. In the last seven or eight years, opposition batsmen have figured him out. There isn't any new variation in his bowling, nothing new that he has come up with. Therefore, it's easy for batsmen to sort him out. There's absolutely no variation in his bowling, he's always happy containing runs. I have issues with this pre-conditioned mind; he never thinks out of the box. It's the same Harbhajan I saw four years ago, he hasn't evolved as a bowler," he told MiD DAY.
"Don't get me wrong, I am still a fan of his because he's a strong character. He has good temperament for the big matches, but your job is that of a strike bowler. You must think wickets. It's a batsman's game... the conditions provided are for the batsmen. But, that's no excuse for happily conceding 40 runs off 10 overs, it's a job half done. Teams win World Cups when bowlers and captains think aggressively. Harbhajan doesn't have that mentality," added Prasanna.
He rubbished the theory that opposition batsmen were happy to play out Harbhajan. "Is that a game plan? Maybe, it is. But, it may not hold true against teams that are adept to playing quality spin bowling. Harbhajan is a rhythm bowler, if he doesn't get wickets against the minnows, how can he get wickets against the bigger teams? It's a genuine problem," he said.
"As a bowler you cannot complain. Recently, Harbhajan said that he enjoyed bowling in South Africa because of the bounce in those surfaces. I totally comply with him ufffd those are great wickets to
bowl on.
"But, as an experienced campaigner, that's no excuse," signed off the 70-year old.
