Say no to rank turners, Bhajji urges Kohli, Kumble

New Delhi, September 19

Senior off-spinner Harbhajan Singh feels captain Virat Kohli and chief coach Anil Kumble have a chance to usher in a new era where Indian teams will not require “rank turners” to win Test matches. With India starting their long home season, comprising 13 Tests, with a three-match series against New Zealand, Harbhajan says the designer pitches could backfire on the team.

“Over the past four-five years, the then team managements preferred pitches where Test matches would end inside three days,” says Harbhajan. “Both Anil bhai and Virat are positive individuals; they would like to play on good Test pitches where matches are decided at least not before the last session of the fourth day.”

“We should look at the bigger picture. Are we gaining anything by winning inside two-and-a-half to three days? Are we being fair to our batsmen who struggled against the South African spinners during the last home series?”

Clearly not happy with India opting for rank turners to overwhelm the visitors, India’s third highest wicket-taker in Tests raises some serious questions. “Why do we call it Test cricket?” he asks. “Because it tests your skills from Day 1 to Day 5 at every level, everyone should get a fair chance to do that.”

The off-spinner warns that New Zealand could surprise India if the hosts roll out rank turners for the series. “It can boomerang on us like it did in Nagpur in the World T20. But if we produce sporting pitches where our batsmen can score 400-plus runs if batting first, New Zealand can’t beat us. Man to man, we are a better unit. Even on sporting tracks, we can win 3-0,” the 36-year-old says.

The feisty spinner believes the rank turners will do no good to Indian spinners either in the long run. “Fine, you can get wickets on such tracks but many a time even the bowler doesn’t know which direction the ball will take after landing. He doesn’t know if it would turn or jump. That’s why I am stressing on the need to have good pitches where skill comes into play,” he says.

Another disadvantage of preparing spinning tracks, Harbhajan says, is that the pacers don’t get enough overs to bowl. “People criticise Ishant for getting just 202 wickets in 69 Tests. But has anyone cared to find out how many overs he has bowled in India? How many with the new ball and with the old reversing ball?

“Ishant has not bowled much because spinners get the ball in the first hour of play itself on designer tracks. If he doesn’t get to bowl with the new ball when the seam is hard and new, then we are being unfair to him,” says Harbhajan.

“If we can make a statement of intent in this series, it will help us when we travel abroad next time,” says the off-spinner.  — PTI