Ajit Karn
Border-Gavaskar Trophy
Marnus Labuschagne used to stand next to the centre of the pitch and take a contemplative look at the 22-yard brown area every day before the nets practise. He would then move to the side and play shadow bat for a while before gathering his equipment and making his way to the nets, where he would create a rough with his studs and instruct the spinners to pound the abraded area. He would ask his teammates about their observations of his posture, knee flexion, head position, and other small factors that over the past two years have helped him become a batting colossus.
Prior to his trip to Pakistan and Sri Lanka last year, he developed what he calls a spin carpet, a rubber surface covered in metal sheets and glued aluminium scraps from which the ball would bounce, jump, or skid depending on where and how it landed. “Well, how can I reproduce spin the best manner possible?” I pondered. … You need to have a strategy and a plan since you can’t truly foresee what it will do, he tweeted.
Border-Gavaskar Trophy
Similar to Labuschagne, his teammates have meticulously prepared to deal with the vicissitudes of subcontinental turners. This preparation includes playing on scuffed-up surfaces with low bounce, practising Asian-specific strokes like the sweeps, using the feet more pro-actively to meet them on the pitch, mastering the art of manoeuvring singles and twos, utilising the depth of the crease wisely, analysing the bowlers, watching and rewatching them, Or, more accurately, they have arrived organised and ready to slay the twirly-men of the subcontinent, encouraged no less by their triumphs in Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
Because spin bowling differs across the world, planning and preparation are essential to controlling the spinners. In Australia, the spinners buy more bounce, allowing the batsmen to have greater confidence in it and play their strokes. The ball may jump off a spot or skitter along the ground on worn surfaces. But not all balls are prone to these outbursts. In the sub-continent, runs are scored far more frequently behind the stumps with late cuts, sweeps, and deflections than in Australia, where run-scoring opportunities more frequently in front of the wickets. The character of turners varies not just by site but also from day to day and session to session, which makes their employment more difficult. The bounce may be reliable or inconsistent, and the turn could be low and gradual or quick and abrupt. A pitch might abruptly fall to sleep and then, in the blink of an eye, awaken and start spewing fire like a ravenous dragon.
Therefore, the best spin players from abroad are those who have not only prepared and practised, but also have a streak of courage and mental flexibility. Reviewing Kevin Pietersen’s 186 in Mumbai, possibly the most devastating performance by an international batsman in the nation, is instructive. It was the ideal synthesis of the aforementioned characteristics. All capable batters at this level arrive organised and prepared, but Pietersen’s ability to change his plans and find ways to score runs made his performance unique.
He examined the causes of his failures between the tests in Ahmedabad (17 and 2) and Mumbai and discovered that he was not trusting his defensive strategy, which is equally crucial to succeed on these areas. He realised, however, that he could not live only by defending when he was in Mumbai, where it turned and bounced, as compared to Ahmedabad, where the bounce was low and the turn was gradual. He countered in short spurts, mostly with sweeps, some of which he hit hard, some of which he dabbed delicately, and others of which were of the reverse sort. But the key to his success was that he didn’t let uncertainties paralyse his thinking when the unusual ones defeated him or when he edged. His tactical thinking was as adaptable as his physical makeup.
Not many successful batters in the subcontinent used a strategy like to Pietersen’s. The majority of the successful players this century were stroke-makers like Matthew Hayden, the much overlooked Hashim Amla, Michael Clarke, Damyn Martyn, and Joe Root. There were some who worked hard and grounded runs, like Alastair Cook. Even while the sweep has always been the most reliable shot, not all of them were particularly good sweepers, like Clarke. Clarke didn’t need to because he could glide around the ground with his quick feet. Martyn had also. Sweep, fast feet, soft hands, defensive sturdiness, the ability to utilise the depth of the crease, and a profound grasp of a spinner’s mentality are all weapons that Root has.
Rohit Sharma, the captain of India, would later elaborate on how to approach spinners on turners: “Everyone has their own strategy, some want to go straight over the bowler’s head. Several sweeps, some reversal sweeps, and similar stuff. Because bowlers and captains are shrewd and constantly alter their plans and strategies, you must rotate your strike and consider the techniques you might utilise to score runs.
Additionally, you must decide which shots to play and which to avoid, as well as when to do so. In the first part of the innings, Pietersen refrained from making any wild attempts against the troublemaker Ojha, but in the second half, he destroyed how. Or how Pakistan’s left-arm spinner Iqbal Qasim was only driven by Sunil Gavaskar when he veered towards the middle and leg and showed a full face. When you consider some of the sub-continental batsmen in the past, like as VVS Laxman, the ball was met with a full face even when he played against the turn until the rubbery wrists went into action and coaxed the ball to his mind’s will.
Also read:- Before the 1st test match, Pat Cummins poked fun at Team India with the phrase “Custom Made Pitch.”
Because of this, the Australians’ true spin test won’t start until Thursday. At that point, everything they’ve learned about nets and theory will be put to the test, and the effectiveness of their spin might determine how the series ends. You may ask Labuschagne how challenging it is. He averages just 33.33 in seven Test matches in Asia, a significant decline from his overall average of 59.43, but he did manage to get one hundred, albeit on a minefield in Galle. But even after 100, he wouldn’t claim to have exorcised the sub-continent spin devils since they continue to frighten.
