The vanishing breed

SPINNERS, THESE days, are in great demand even though in India they might have been put in the category of `endangered species'. If India cannot list a few international quality spinners, which country can? They talk of flat pitches, awesome dominance of one- day cricket, improved equipment as some of the reasons for spinners languishing for quite some time now. The purity and skills have diminished. The bowler luring the batsman, beating him in flight, remains a dream. The traditional spinner, backed by close-in agility to pouch the edges, seems history. Not many would agree though. At least not four greats from the past.

One of them, Srinivas Venkatraghavan, former India skipper, off- spinner of repute and now a respected international umpire, put it in the right perspective when he said ``spin is an art in itself and needs to be nurtured. It is not dead.''

But where and why has it vanished?

There have been some good and some disappointing bowlers in the past two decades but few successes, with the exception of Anil Kumble, an established match-winner. His injury and the subsequent pull-out from the current series against Australia led to panic, not to speak of dejection in the ranks of the team. Just a reflection on the state of affairs. The tribe one could have described as practitioners of spin has dwindled considerably. The likes of Maninder Singh and Laxman Sivaramakrishnan promised but failed to live up to it while bowlers like Narendra Hirwani did not get adequate support. Even as some did not get the time to establish themselves. Hirwani now gets another opportunity to shape his career.

Spin was considered India's strong point before Kapil Dev, and later Javagal Srinath, changed the approach. Yet, on home pitches, the emphasis revolved around banking on spinners. On the eve of the series against Australia, there has been some hectic activity involving the selection of spinners for the conditioning camp, a clear indication that guile, and not brute force, was going to be India's line of attack. Skipper Sourav Ganguly spoke openly of having spinner-friendly pitches to counter the Australians. And why not, argued his supporters, of course with a warning that even the Aussies had a couple of dangerous bowlers in their ranks? But there is optimism in certain quarters in the challenge being spearheaded by the young spin brigade of Rahul Sanghvi, Harbhajan Singh, Sarandeep Singh, Murali Kartik......with Sunil Joshi and Venkatapathy Raju not written off and W. D. Balaji Rao and Sairaj Bahutule among the contenders, despite losing out to Hirwani.

Spin may have remained their strength but the well-wishers have been haunted by this compelling thought : Are the Indians still good in this field? Does India have the talent, which is the most essential ingredient to assess the bowlers available for selection?

``Of course we have the right kind of talent but we need to guide them'' maintained Bishan Singh Bedi, one of the acknowleged greats and part of the famous quartet. The others who formed the lethal Indian attack of the '60s and '70s being Erapalli Prasanna, Bhagwat Chandrasekhar and Venkatraghavan - all distinguished performers and all belonging to the top drawer - too shared their observations with The Hindu.

``There are more pundits these days than cricketers,'' remarked Chandrasekhar even as he defended the young bowlers of today. ``I don't watch much cricket these days,'' confessed the wily leg- spinner who ran through some of the most formidable batting line- ups. ``It is becoming increasingly difficult for the young bowlers because the expectations are too many and everyone seems to want quick results. It takes time for any player to mature and settle into a slot. So why this panic,'' asked Chandrasekhar.

The National selectors had packed the conditioning camp at Chennai with spinners. There was such a tinge of desperation in the summoning of Hirwani and Bahutule that at one point we had a feeling even Rajesh Chauhan, more of an administrator in Chattisgarh now, stood a good chance to earn a recall. All because the Indian thinktank suddenly appeared to have `discovered' that spin was the best weapon against the all- conquering Aussies.

Bedi dismissed the suggestion that there was lack of standard. ``We have three left-arm spinners and two off-spinners competing for places in the Test team. There are a few waiting in the wings too. We need to understand what is our strength and then plan accordingly,'' he pointed out.

Chandrasekhar agreed with his former mate. ``Let us not compare because these days the demands are different. The bowlers have to contend with one-day cricket too. I think we have some good bowlers around and need to groom them.''

Prasanna too shared the opinion aired by Bedi and Chandrasekhar. With the exception of left-arm spinners Joshi and Venkatapathy Raju, the rest, as Prasanna observed, were young and in the process of learning. ``Spinners take time to mature. Experience is a must to excel as a spinner and that's why I say we should back these young men. The approach overall may have changed but the basics have remained the same.''

Elaborating on the change in the approach, Prasanna noted ``the role of a spinner has not been defined in the case of these youngsters. The accent is on medium-pace and the spinners, even in our system, seem to be playing the supporting role. Spin used to be our strength once but it has changed with times I guess. The bowlers are apprehensive of attacking.''

Have the spinners become defensive? ``Certainly'' remarked Prasanna and added ``the one-day game has inculcated this habit of bowling a defensive line.''

Interestingly, Prasanna pointed out a major flaw in the spinners of today. ``They are conceding too many runs even when trying to be defensive. The philosophy of containing a batsman gets defeated in this case.''

Venkatraghavan agreed. ``When I bowled, I expected the ball to be played in a particular direction. I don't see that happening today. A lot depends on the confidence level. We used to bowl a lot in first-class cricket and bowl to top-class batsmen. Essentially we used to be prepared for international cricket. We were mentally well prepared to out-think the batsmen at any level, which is what spin bowling is all about.''

What could be the solution then? What tactic would he have adopted? Prasanna did not waste a moment ``I would have attacked, even in one-day cricket. You can still attack by varying the line and length. And then you have to turn the ball. Look at Muralitharan. His strength is the turn that he imparts on the ball. He succeeds because he is always trying to take wickets. Our bowlers need to develop that habit.''

Bedi was candid ``our lads must learn to remember the basics. You have to flight the ball and turn it too. You have to beat the batsman in the air and off the pitch to get him out. Sadly, most of our spinners are not following the basics. By bowling flat and quick, they only end up conceding too many runs. This is an important area which needs immediate attention. I would have dared the batsmen to hit me. Unless you engage a batsman in competition, the chances of getting him reduce.''

The steady decline in the standards was pretty obvious, one suggested. And Venkatraghavan agreed. He was known as a bowler who could perform on any track and that is why he wanted the youngsters to remember ``spin is very hard work. It is mind over matter. You have to excel in all conditions.''

The former India skipper did not agree that a spinner needed support from the pitch. ``We did well even on pitches which didn't respond at all. In my case I always followed the simple lesson of a good line, length and direction. There can be no substitute to this thinking. On a helpful pitch too it is not easy to bowl well.''

Chandrasekhar had similar views. ``I never worried over the state of the pitch. I was honestly never bothered what kind of surface I was going to bowl on. If it suited me I would end up with six for 23 or else it would be four for 83. What I am trying to say is that you have to bowl well to get wickets. Whether the pitch is good or bad, let it be remembered that it is going to be the same for both the camps. This is my way of thinking.''

On planning the victims? Chandrasekhar admitted ``I never planned. It was all chalked out in the middle. How to get the batsman out depended on his form too in the middle. On his batting that particular day for one to chalk out tactics. I never looked at the pitch. I didn't give much thought to field setting too. Maybe because I was different, fastish.'' And he insisted each bowler had a distinct, individual flair and expected the bowlers of today to develop on those lines. ``Have confidence in yourself.''

The genial Chandrasekhar was very sympathetic of the bowlers today. ``Please don't be harsh on them. It is easy to comment. We are trying to find good bowlers and we must support this lot. Is the great West Indian team not struggling? It is not able to get one decent fast bowler. You have to accept certain facts in good spirits. Of course, you have to identify the talented guys because talent is the main thing. It is inborn. The finer points can be learnt to help yourself but 90 per cent of your success comes from your talent. It is same in any other field of life too. The best of professors can't teach you if you are not inclined towards studying.''

Venkatraghavan, pained at the quality of spinners in India, spent time at the conditioning camp with the young bowlers and had praise for the two Punjab off-spinners, Harbhajan and Sarandeep. ``They both have the potential and they must use their talent and work hard. I told them about the importance of line, length and direction and how to trap batsmen leg-before. I told them about the significance of bowling with confidence. It comes from bowling to good batsmen in domestic cricket before you bowl in the bigger league.''

Prasanna echoed Venkatraghavan's views: ``we used to bowl to at least 25 good batsmen in domestic cricket. Bowling to tough batting sides in Ranji Trophy and Duleep Trophy was an education to prepare us for international cricket. Exposure in domestic cricket helps a lot provided you bowl to good batsmen. How many times have our spinners bowled in a match to batsmen like Tendulkar, Dravid and Ganguly.''

There was, however, one area which left Prasanna disturbed. ``I am surprised that today's spinners don't know how to set a field and bowl to it. They don't seem to have a clue about it.''

The spinners of the era goneby have had very valid points to make. The spinners of today may nor may not agree. Here is what Maninder, who learnt from the famous quartet and has been engaged in passing on the wisdom to the current lot, has to say: ``the decline in the standard is mainly because of the pitches. We need to produce hard pitches to encourage spin bowling. The Board should pay immediate attention to this area. We have immense talent believe me and the boys have been working hard. Look at Harbhajan and Sanghvi. They have worked very hard. I think we need to guide the young spinners of today and I am sure we have the right masters (past spinners) to do this job.''

No doubt about India having the masters to educate the pupils wanting to learn the art of spin. Bedi is ever-willing, carrying video tapes and books on the subject in the boot of his car, just in case some youngster needs them urgently. Venkatraghavan has never refused to share his knowledge. Chandrasekhar, laid low by an injury, would be too happy if approached. And Prasanna, who helped Sarandeep improve in a span of just five days at the National Cricket Academy, has a ready offer. ``Talent has to be nurtured. Give me ten young spinners and one year with them, I promise I will give the Indian team three quality bowlers.''

Would the Board of Control for Cricket in India be interested in starting a spin academy with these four stalwarts as the gurus? We cannot find better men than them. To confirm, I asked Eknath Solkar, the legendary forward short-leg fielder, a great source of inspiration to the famous quartet. Solkar was emotional ``they were great bowlers and there can't be any comparison. Not once did I fear standing so close because I was so sure of their abilities and had complete faith in their line and length. I don't know about the current spinners but I would believe we have the talent. But then there can never be any comparison''

VIJAY LOKAPALLY

New Delhi

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