India in SL

The Indian spinning machine would be on full throttle in Sri Lanka for the Test series under the able hands of Anil Kumble.

By Rajarshi Gupta

Kumble is back for the longer version after a series of ODI's while Harbhajan Singh finds his way back in the folds after serving a suspension after 'Slapgate'. Pragyan Ojha is the new kid on the block, whose guiles with tweakers would now feature as a prominent discussion in the Sri Lankan dressing room.

If Sri Lanka have Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis up their sleeves, India would unleash a spinning trinity of the dangerous Kumble, Harbhajan and Ojha. If the Lankans want to catch India on vicious turning tracks, they might as well gear up to the threat these three might pose to their batsmen.

Apart from Mahela Jayawardene and Kumara Sangakkara, the Lankans are suspect against quality spin bowling. The others in the line up would not have faced a lot of Kumble or Bhajji. Ojha definitely is a brand new proposition.

Yes, Kumble did not have a sparkling series in 2001, when the two teams clashed on the emerald isles for a Test series. However, his records since that 2-1 drubbing are enough to send some shivers down the spine of the Lankan batting.

In the 66 Test matches Kumble has played for the last seven years, he has picked up 332 wickets at 29.94 apiece, snatching 19 five wicket hauls and five 10 wicket clusters, with a best of eight for 141.

Harbhajan too has had a decent outing in the last seven years. In 53 Test matches, he has snapped 214 wickets at an average of 32.46 with 17 five wicket and two 10 wicket hauls. His best was seven-48 against the touring South Africans in 2004.

The duo have now bowled a lot together. Kumble has since gone on to lead the mantle in India's overseas victories, with remarkable performances in Australia, Pakistan, the West Indies and South Africa. And he has shown tremendous faith in Bhajji's abilities, often bringing on 'the Turbanator' before himself.

The pair of them sure hunt in pairs. Both get the ball to bounce and while Bhajji turns the ball more than his skipper, the wily old Kumble relies on his deadly flippers and consistent googlies to skid the batsmen on to the backfoot, thereby increasing his chances of trapping his victims in front of the stumps.

Most Sri Lankans would look to play Kumble like a seamer, getting on to the backfoot and then play straight down the ground. This might well be the end of issues. Inexperienced batsmen have often fallen to the venomous trap before and 'Jumbo' would make sure it happens again.

The surprise package will be Ojha. He gets the ball to loop, gets decent revoulutions on the ball and sticks to the basic line and length early in his spell, which is not a very bad thing to do early on.

Another option Kumble could dwell upon is Virender Sehwag. He was lethal on the dead tracks in the West Indies in 2006, often spinning India close to convincing Test wins till India managed a victory in the last Test.

All is now set for the the Lankan war. India will set foot in the emerald isles with heavier armoury than the hosts. The spinners sure will make all the difference this time.