Indian spin wizards are not on the same page anymore.
Harbhajan Singh was very much the senior spinner of the Indian cricket team when Ravichandran Ashwin had made his ODI debut against Sri Lanka back in the year 2010. However, in the due course of time, the Tamil Nadu offie not only displaced the Punjab lad from the ODI squad but also Tests. Ashwin's rise has been phenomenal and recently he been broke Harbhajan's record of fastest Indian to reach 200 Test wickets by completing the milestone in 37 games as compared to Bhajji, who took nine more matches to reach the magical figure.
Incidentally, just before the start of the Test series against the Kiwis, Harbhajan said that captain Virat Kohli and chief coach Anil Kumble have got a chance to usher in a new era where Indian cricket teams will not require 'rank turners' to win matches as the long-used tactic is beginning to boomerang on the side. Now, Ashwin indirectly took a pot shot at that comment and the Turbanator replied back in his own sweet way.
When asked about Harbhajan's remarks, Ashwin was quoted as saying by Ananda Bazar Patrika, "Honestly, I have no idea how my statement is going to be presented by the media. However, one thing which I can say is that we have no time to read all these comments. We don't decide the nature of the wickets. Neither Kohli nor Kumble rolls or waters the track. It's unfortunate that people don't understand this. We should be allowed to enjoy our brand of cricket. Nobody is bothered when England wins a Test in two days. So what's the problem if the same happens in India?"
The Bengali daily then contacted Harbhajan to comment on Ashwin's statement. "I think he (Ashwin) should enjoy his success. Alas, had we bowled on such wickets... I will still stick to my point," he said.
When asked whether he used to get such turners during his India days, Harbhajan replied, "What we used to get, can be termed as 'little favour' and what happens now is 'lot of favour'. There's hell and heaven of a difference between the two. There should be a balance between bat and ball. Neither the batsman nor the bowler should get extra advantage"
"Skill should be the deciding factor and not the conditions. Once the conditions start playing a bigger role, skill falls behind," Bhajji signed off.
Whatever may be the case, one thing can be guaranteed that the past and present of Indian spin armoury are not on the same page anymore.
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 "Harbhajan Singh and Ravichandran Ashwin")
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