Does Harbhajan Singh Deserve His Place In Tests?
There cannot be too much doubt that the SSC track in Colombo in the ongoing Test match between http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750 and Sri Lanka is a flat one. It is difficult for the bowlers to extract anything out of it, and taking wickets will always be a difficult.
However, the Sri Lankan spinners did a great job in running through the Indian top-order and picking up four wickets for 241. Both, Suraj Randiv - on his debut - and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Ajantha-c42419 Mendis, picked a couple each, and looked very much a part.
The question this begs is about the Indian spinner, Harbhajan Singh, who has already conceded almost 300 runs and picked up only one wicket so far. And it is not only this series, but for some time that his spot in the side has been in question.
Poor Follow-Up to http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Anil-Kumble-c44737…
When http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Muttiah-Muralitharan-c78157 tipped Harbhajan Singh as the bowler most likely to go past his tally of wickets in Test cricket, there were more than a few who chuckled at the veteran Sri Lankan’s thought. Despite the fact that the Sardar had picked up more than 300 wickets even when Anil Kumble had played his final Test, it was expected that the latter’s boots would be tough for Singh to fill in.
Few however would have seen this coming; India’s incumbent leading spinner has only two five-wicket hauls in the eleven Tests that he’s played since 2009. Even more worrying fact is the barren stretch in between when he bowled a number of overs only to be rewarded by a wicket or at most two in an entire innings.
Not An Attacking Bowler Anymore…
The transformation of Harbhajan over the past few seasons has been quite distressing from an Indian cricket fan’s point of view. From a bowler whose only aim with the ball in hand was to attack the batsman at every given opportunity, Singh is seen bowling defensively on more occasions than not. That he does so even during Test matches and not just in the shorter formats of the game is baffling to say the least.
Wicketless In An Entire Test…
His form in the ongoing series against Sri Lanka has seen him touch a new low. For the first time since the 2nd innings of the Test against England at Mohali in late 2008 did Harbhajan go wicketless in an entire innings. In all, the off-spinner bowled 32.1 overs in the Test at Galle and conceded over 120 runs in the bargain. His form in the first innings of the 2nd Test at Colombo wasn’t too inspiring either as the bowler went for 147 runs in his 42.4 overs. It was only a tired looking shot from Mahela Jayawardene which gave him his first wicket in the series; that after the team had already compiled over 600 runs by then.
Flat Form On Tailor-Made Pitches Too…
In Harbhajan’s defence, he’s been punished on wickets that are lifeless to say the least. What cannot be defended though is the amount of ‘hit-me’ balls that he bowls with alarming regularity. Since 2009, Singh has consistently bowled with an economy rate of over 3.5 runs an over, even on wickets such as in Ahmedabad and Kanpur, venues that have always assisted the slow bowlers.
Moreover, during similar batting conditions in the first Test of the ongoing Test series against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sri-Lanka-c758, Muralitharan was able to trouble batsmen who are traditionally known to be the best batters of spin bowling.
Form in ODIs…
While his form with the ball in Tests has been pedestrian to say the obvious, ODIs have not been able to produce the best in Harbhajan either. Even if one considers that 300 is not considered to be a safe score in ODIs anymore, the fact that India’s leading spinner has regularly gone for more than six runs per over is a worrying sign. That he conceded those many even while playing weaker teams such as http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Bangladesh-c747 means that India sometimes continues to sometimes think that Kumble should still have been around.
The joke doing rounds is that Harbhajan is more useful these days with the bat in hand.
Time Running Out?
The firebrand cricketer has been through his share of troubles in the past as well and as he showed in the final Test against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/South-Africa-c757 at Kolkata last year, he’s more than capable of still doing an encore. Just that the selectors, much like the spectator may not be wrong in expecting a bit more from a bowler who keeps reminding everyone that he’s been around for over 10 years now.
More experience also means more responsibility and it’s high time that Harbhajan Singh begins to make it count a bit more seriously and a bit more consistently.
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