India spins its doosra

With Ashwin finally pairing up with senior offie Harbhajan,skipper Dhonis combination worries have faded away.

Returning to their seats from the stalls on the periphery of the MA Chidambaram Stadium,the crowds exploded with joy as Ravichandran Ashwin marked his run-up to open the attack with the new ball. They cheered dot balls,clapping and screaming his name everytime he jogged in to bowl. The local boy was making his World Cup debut at home,and the moment was not going to slip them by.

The venue soon erupted on Sunday night when Ashwin appealed for a leg before decision against West Indies opener Kirk Edwards,and as the umpire referral system validated his plea,the newly built canopies had their first real test of strength. It was the first wicket to fall during West Indiess chase,a bleeding that eventually resulted in an 80-run victory for India. It wasnt over until Ashwin returned in the slog overs,mopping up fast bowler Ravi Rampaul to finish with two wickets in 10 overs. The home boy had done his reputation a world of good,almost setting the team combination for the quarter-finals in stone.

Ashwin picked up a stump as souvenir,received a high-five from Sachin Tendulkar and a few encouraging words for having opened and closed Indias account with the ball. But more importantly,he had combined brilliantly with Harbhajan Singh,striking up a healthy competition with the veteran off-spinner while the two were spinning webs about the West Indians in tandem.

Harbhajan versus Ashwin was a contest that Indian cricket fans were anticipating for a while now,and it turned out to be a fascinating one. Following several postponements in the past,and subsequent selectoral battles in the boardroom,Ashwin and Harbhajan finally played an ODI game together. And their history formed an overwhelming backdrop to the encounter.

In the end,there was little to choose between Ashwins 10-0-41-2 and Harbhajans 9-1-35-1,but the performances did give credence to the theory that both off-spinners can not only co-exist,but also form a genuine spin attack for Indias future more immediately in the knock-out stages of the World Cup.

Ashwin started the proceedings with the new ball,while Harbhajan came along in the sixth over,replacing Zaheer Khan,creating a platform for comparison while bowling in tandem. They bowled to Edwards and Devon Smith and both were smacked for a six each during the opening spell,but the first round went to Ashwin.

The junior off-spinner bowled eight overs in his first spell,giving away just 36 runs for a wicket. He bowled a fuller length,daring the West Indians to drive,before varying his lengths subtlely,mixing in the odd carrom ball to bamboozle the batter on strike.

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On the other hand,Harbhajan paled in comparison,going for 23 runs in his first spell of four overs. He bowled short,giving away two boundaries to the square cut and the pull shot,besides looking to bowl quicker on a wicket that allowed plenty of turn. Despite being the senior,Harbhajan failed to either stop the flow of runs or pick the breakthroughs. But he roared back in the second,starting with a maiden,before picking up the crucial wicket of Kieron Pollard. Harbhajans second spell read 4-1-7-1.

Apart from his only wicket,Harbhajan may not have received as much support from the Chennai crowds as Ashwin did,but in the new-look spin twins,the side finally boasts of a lethal combination one that can do the job for India in the final few rounds of the World Cup.