Its been an up-and-down sort of week for Sunil Narine. He started it by rising to the top of the ICC T20 bowlers rankings and ended it left out of the West Indies squad for the first Test against Zimbabwe.
His contrasting fortunes have mirrored the general plight of mystery spinners: hell-raisers in the shorter formats who end up looking clueless in Test cricket. While Narine suffered his first-ever axe,Ajantha Mendis was playing his first Test for Sri Lanka in close to two years.
When Narine mystified all comers during his maiden IPL stint last year,the cricketing world watched in awe. Sceptics feared that he would suffer the Mendis fate when exposed to Test cricket. It has taken Narine just five Tests to prove them right.
The chief reason for the duos slump in the longer format has a lot to do with the difference in approach of batsmen towards them. Narine and Mendis thrive on the opposition looking to attack them. Steep required rates and scoreboard pressure ensure that the batsmen cannot afford any sighters or time to fathom their variations.
Tests allow batsmen the liberty to play out a few maidens. It gives them time to sit back and push the likes of Narine to force the play. Their penchant for variety leads to them compromising on accuracy,which then means freebies for the batsmen.
Their unprecedented success in the shorter formats has also coaxed selectors into giving mystery spinners a shorter rope in the longer format. It just took one disappointing series in Bangladesh for Narine to be left out while Mendiss last three Tests have been spread over four years.
Narine and Mendis can take a leaf out of R Ashwins book in a bid to enhance their Test credentials. An equally chronic offender in terms of his over-reliance on variations,the Indian off-spinners success against Australia has been based around returning to the basics,focusing on his stock ball,and using his variety as a surprise weapon.
(Bharat is a senior correspondent based in Mumbai)
bharat.sundaresan@expressindia.com
