Off-the-mark top spinner

An ineffective Harbhajan has only compounded Indias misery on the England tour.

Among the many expressions that Harbhajan Singh wears on the field,there is one when he winces,scowls and at the same time gives the impression of being a victim. Generally,this complicated facial contortion follows a dropped catch or a near miss. During this India-England series,that pained look was on Harbhajans face quite early as early as the first ball of his opening spell at Lords. Bowling to Jonathan Trott just before lunch on Day One,the off-spinner had induced an edge but Rahul Dravid had failed to hold on to a very tough and instinctive catch.

Maybe it was a sign of things to come. For most of the first two Tests that India have convincingly lost to England,the man who generally rejuvenates a disillusioned Indian team with an unexpected wicket or with motivational chants has gone missing. With just two wickets from 69 overs for the cost of 287 runs over two Tests,the happy Harbhajan hasnt taken the field. With India having already lost the chance to win the series and very close to losing their number one ranking in Tests as well,the problem in the spin department is one of many that face MS Dhoni and his team.

In hindsight,Trent Bridge would have been the ideal venue to give Harbhajan Singh a break. It would have given the troubled offie a rare fortnight-long rest to sort out his bowling. The seaming conditions at the ground,not far from river Trent,would have also provided the captain an excuse for making the bold decision. While dropping seniors,the decision-makers need to have at least one politically correct reason to sound convincing at press meets.

Considering that the spinners from both sides Graeme Swann also had a forgettable outing had virtually no role to play in the second Test,Harbhajan on the bench and seamer Munaf Patel on the field might have made a difference.

A tough call

But with the next two Tests to be played on surfaces at Edgbaston and the Oval where spinners do have a say,Dhoni will now have to take a tough call. Harbhajans strained stomach might make things easier for the team as they sit to pick the playing eleven for the third Test.

To put a finger on Harbhajans problem,revisiting two of the long spells that he has bowled on this tour wouldnt be a bad idea. With Zaheer Khan not on the field due to injury,Harbhajan had to do the extra hours at Lords. On the first day he bowled unchanged for 15 overs and later bowled 13 straight. Both the marathon spells came during Kevin Pietersens more-than-eight-hour stay at the crease that saw him score an unbeaten 202.

Pietersen had a very simple way of dealing with Harbhajan. He scored about one-fourth of his runs against the offie,of which most were in the arc between mid-wicket and fine leg. The England batsman would shuffle across and guide the ball into the on-side. With the offie not getting much turn or zip off the pitch,this was a perfect ploy. Even balls that were pitched outside the off-stump were either swept,guided or flicked off the pads. With Harbhajan not coming up with a mean straighter one or a deceptive doosra,Pietersen had it easy. Even luck wasnt on the off-spinners side as a very close lbw appeal was negated by the umpire.

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The bad start to the series was to continue in the second innings and in the subsequent Test. The man who usually gets wickets in a bunch has not been at his best in England. For Dhoni,it might be a tough call to drop a spinner with 400-plus Test wickets. India has spin back-up in leggie Amit Mishra but he didnt quite impress in the tour game before the first Test. With the crisis in the spin department adding to Indias woes,Dhoni might soon be borrowing Harbhajans trademark grimace.