The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : `A lot depends on Kumble, Harbhajan'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Oct 06, 2004

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Sport - Cricket

`A lot depends on Kumble, Harbhajan'

By S. Dinakar

VOTE OF CONFIDENCE: Erapalli Prasanna believes Anil Kumble has the potential to stop Australia and also tally more than 450 wickets in his career. - Photo: V.V. Krishnan.

BANGALORE, OCT. 5. He has eyes that laugh and a spirit that gleams and sparkles through them. Much like his magical off-spin that bristled with passion and joy, through which the game's very soul gushed out.

True art never dies, only shines brighter with the passage of years, and Erapalli Prasanna's timeless bowling took the connoisseurs to cricket's very essence where a wonderful blend of astonishing skills and a spirit of adventure lighted up the arenas.

It is not surprising that he has eyes that still radiate sunshine!

And there he was, at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, on Tuesday, on the eve of the first TVS Cup India-Australia Test, exchanging pleasantries, having an occasional word with the cricketers and generally adding to an already buzzing pre-series atmosphere.

The 64-year-old Prasanna, who tossed out 189 batsmen in 49 Tests, including a creditable 57 scalps in 13 matches against the Aussies, dwelt on the forthcoming series.

Weakened batting

In how the Australian batsmen coped with the Indian spinners in the sub-continental conditions could well decide the fate of the series. Said Prasanna: "A lot for India would depend on Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh. Without Ricky Ponting, whom I would have expected to handle Harbhajan better this time, for the first two Tests, the Australian batting is weakened. Ponting can be dominant."

On the brown, dry surface for the first Test, Prasanna said, "The pitch should assist the spinners, but I do not think it will break."

Prasanna believes the Australian innings should not be allowed to stretch beyond 100 overs. "They get runs at such a fast clip that if the innings crosses that point, the Indians would be under pressure."

Need to attack

The maestro said though Harbhajan's form had been encouraging following a finger surgery, the off-spinner needed to attack the batsmen more. "He is slower through the air these days, which is good, but he seems to have become a little defensive in his mind-set. He should remember that the away drifter is only a surprise weapon and bowl a consistent line."

The man whose deliveries spun and stung, then turned his attention on Kumble, who is only three short of a major cricketing landmark - 400 Test wickets: "He bowls within his limitations and to his strengths, seeks to claim a wicket with each of his deliveries, and is aggressive. I think, he will go way beyond 400, and finish with more than 450 scalps."

Kumble was a roaring success on the eventful campaign Down Under last season and Prasanna analysed the leg-spinner's bowling. "I think he got his field placements just right in Australia. He had a mid-off and a mid-on that were straighter and this forced the batsmen to play him squarer, opening up possibilities for him. Earlier, the batsmen would strike Kumble over his head, but with a straighter field, that scoring option was blocked. He is not a big spinner of the ball, but brings in subtle variations of pace."

Mind game

Touching on the mind game, Prasanna said: "At this level, there are no personalities involved on the field. It's you versus a bowler or a batsman. If you allow the names to enter your mind, you are asking for trouble. The Aussies are not good losers. They will remember the 2001 series and come at you hard."

In his heyday, Prasanna, a famous part of India's legendary spin quartet of the 60 and 70s, tormented the batsmen with his dazzling array of tricks. "Drifting the ball out and spinning it in, and drifting it in and spinning it away, I could do all that. I think the doosra is a terminology they have invented now. We bowled a similar delivery in our time with lots of overspin."

Prasanna maintains that flight is the heart of quality spin bowling. "The ball hangs in the air, dips, drops, and then floats away."

And then he laughs, so do his eyes.

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