New Delhi, Mar 17: Indian cricket has celebrated the emergence of a potent fast bowling unit but it is high time that the establishment focuses on producing quality Test spinners, especially off-break bowlers, feel former players.
Ravichandran Ashwin (365 wickets in 71 Tests) has been an impact bowler in home conditions but the current team management hasn’t exactly put complete faith in Tamil Nadu tweaker’s abilities in overseas conditions.
While former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh feels that seasoned domestic performers like Akshay Wakhare (34 years) and Jalaj Saxena (33 years) should be given a break, another veteran Laxman Sivaramakrishnan is of the opinion that a younger pool needs to be created as Ashwin still has “good three years of Test cricket left in him”.
“Ashwin is a very hard-working bowler and he has not taken his place for granted. He still has three good years left and it’s time now that we find the next crop of young spinners which is ready to take over when time comes,” Sivaramakrishnan said.
But Harbhajan has a different idea.
“Jalaj Saxena and Akshay Wakhare have performed year after year at the domestic level, at times on flat tracks. I have seen Akshay closely at the Mumbai Indians nets. Age for me is just a number. I don’t believe these two can’t be tried,” the ‘Turbanator’ said. (PTI)
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