The future of Indian spin
It would surely be too foolish to count Harbhajan Singh out from making a strong comeback to international cricket, but over the past couple of months the Indian selectors have felt it important to try out other options.
Harbhajan has been India’s top spinner for a few years now, taking over the role that Anil Kumble held for so long. The Turbanator, as he has known, has been part of some amazing matches, and was the first Indian to claim a Test hat-trick and, that too, against the mighty Australians. That came in 2001 when he was a young twenty-something and what a series it was for him against the Aussies. He took 32 wickets in the three-Test series and proved to be a constant pain in the side of the visitors.
| Harbhajan Singh | Matches | Overs | Runs conceded | Wickets | Average |
| Test - Career | 98 | 4,608 | 13,084 | 406 | 32.23 |
| Test - 2011 | 6 | 259 | 761 | 20 | 38.05 |
| ODI - Career | 229 | 2,010 | 8,651 | 259 | 33.40 |
| ODI - 2011 | 17 | 164 | 702 | 17 | 41.29 |
In Test cricket he averages 32.23, which is significantly better than his average for 2011. That also holds true for his ODI average, but Harbhajan has not been without his successes this year.
He took seven wickets in the third innings against South Africa at the start of the year, his best innings return since 2005. He also proved to be quite a handful to the Windies, having taken 11 wickets and he also had his part to play in India’s World Cup triumph, even if his tournament was a little muted.
India have gone in with two spinners in the first two Tests versus the West Indies in the current series and one cannot really say whether or not Harbhajan would have had prodigious success against the lacklustre West Indians in home conditions. But it also cannot be denied that Pragyan Ojha and Ravichandran Ashwin have tasted incredible success in the series so far.
| Ind vs WI, Nov 2011 | Matches | Overs | Runs conceded | Wickets | Average |
| Pragyan Ojha | 2 | 102.2 | 277 | 13 | 21.31 |
| Ravichandran Ashwin | 2 | 102.3 | 314 | 13 | 24.15 |
They are the leading wicket-takers in the series and the best bowlers by Bowling Efficiency on the Castrol Index, with Ojha just pipping Ashwin. Both bowlers have taken six-wicket hauls, with Ashwin’s coming in his debut Test.
Ojha had made his Test debut back in 2009, but has never found a permanent spot in the team. He has played 13 Tests in all so far and has seized the opportunity given to him in this series. His 6/72 in the first Test against the West Indies is also his career-best result.
After the third Test and the five ODIs that follow, India will have a bit of a break before the all-important tour of Australia begins. The Aussies are no longer as dominant as they once were and this might be India’s best chance in a long while to win Down Under, but playing away from home is no easy thing, as the tour of England showed us. And despite Harbhajan’s experience of playing in Australia, he does not have the best of records; just nine wickets in four Tests and his worst average in any Test-playing country. This could just be the opportunity for Ojha and/or Ashwin to take their careers even further.
