Spin twins on a roll

But as the duo rocked the middle order of Railways on Monday,who were eventually bundled out for 187,Mumbai coach Praveen Amre felt Abdulla and Singh’s could be shoulders that will carry on the team’s legacy in near future.

“They took 14 of the 20 wickets in our last game (against Himachal). At this age and this level how many players have done this? Iqbal has played more matches but coming in for Ramesh Powar,Harmeet has done surprisingly well. It’s not easy to debut for a team like Mumbai where you have so much responsibility right from the word go. There’s every chance of getting lost among the stars. At this moment,it will not be fair to compare them to somebody who has taken 350 wickets but they are certainly the ones for the future,” Mumbai coach Praveen Amre said,adding,“Today,Harmeet gave us the first wicket and then let Abdulla take over. Another reason they are doing well together because their methods are different. Iqbal keeps the batsman in check with a flat trajectory while Harmeet gives it more air. ”

This basic attack-and-restrict policy has been the key to the young spin pair’s performance this season. Having never played together apart from club cricket,sharing the spoils is something both have agreed to learn from. “Despite being the senior,I have learnt a lot of things from Harmeet. You can look at our performance this season and the first thing you will notice is the fact that we have always performed well together,” Abdulla said,adding,“For me there’s some obvious pressure but I take it as a competition. It’s good for my age.”

Against Himachal,both Harmeet and Abdulla had seven scalps each. “From the beginning of the second session today,Iqbal was looking more dangerous and I just had to contend the batsmen. The plan perfectly worked for us as he picked up the wickets after I bowled a few maidens,” Harmeet said.

While Iqbal is trying to cement his place,Harmeet may well have to make way for Powar in future. But the 17-year-old insists he’s prepared. “At 17,plying for Mumbai is like playing for India. I wouldn’t mind sitting out because I have done justice to the opportunities I got,” he said.