India is not exactly the kind of spin-friendly cricketing nation it was during the years of Prasannas, Bedis and Chandras thanks to the improved pace attack of Zaheer, Ishant, Nehra, RP and others..somewhat magnifying the significance of our central character. Further, he contends with a 'pop-culture like' conviction that Harbhajan is after Anil, Bhajji with all his performances, did not get the focus for his skill that he deserved. This article zooms-in to illustrate the beauty and the detail of Bhajji's amazing art and its challenges. Have you noticed- the super slow-motion on TV showing Bhajji's offspinners with perfect seam facing the leg slip?
But what does a spinner do - spin the bowl! Which implies revolutions imparted to the ball and amount of turn extracted often depends upon the surface. Thus two variables - spin and surface. However, a deeper analysis reveals three more variables- line, length, seam, shine, and weather. Bhajji could use all seven variables in beautiful array of combinations. Here we thread-bare the various permutations he deployed and how. Since it is too obvious line and length are not discussed in much depth. A library of unique variations in Bhajji's bowling armory is grouped below into four categories.
Category 1
The Stock Ball
Bhajji's stock ball is an offspinner!..but not just..It is delivered with seam pointing to the leg slip and dry half of the ball facing the first slip. The ball drifts away from the right hander or towards the first slip before pitching because of the roughness and spins into the batsman after pitching. This is his typical 'caught at silly-mid-on or mid-off' or 'bowled through the gate' delivery. It is a difficult delivery to master since it requires one to grip the shining side between the fingers.
Purely on cricketing logic, the flipside of utilizing the ball's shine/seam/roughness/pitch/weather-conditions is that, one RELIES on it. Very often only one or two of the above criteria are met and so half the variations are rendered ineffective during one particular session in a test match. But when they fall in place, like in Eden or Colombo, he demands center stage.
The Stock Ball-variation
When the dry-half is facing towards leg slip and seam is still directed towardsleg slip. In this case, the ball drifts into the right hander before pitching and turns in further after pitching. Very often this ball is pulled for 4 or a 6, since so often he drops it short. Apparently, this delivery is still not an honest weapon, it backfires as much.
Category 2
Overspinner/top spinner
While defined as one ball- 'overspinner' or 'top spinner' is a family of possible trajectories the ball may follow. Typically, this delivery hurries after pitching. But as always the real devil is in the detail. Imagine a fast bowlers stock delivery -seam up, except, bowled much slower through the air and with lot of over-spin. It requires special skill to perfect this one specially when delivered from over the wicket. Before pitching the ball may drift towards the batter or away depending on how Bhaj chooses to orient the shining side. Under favorable conditions, I think in the heart-of-hearts even Bhajji cant predict with certainty the outcome of this delivery. Firstly, depending on moisture in the pitch, the ball may seam after pitching. Secondly, the ball may also drift prior to pitching (Category 1). Finally, the amount of over-spin is determined by the revolutions imparted, roughness of the surface and roughness of the ball itself. Furthermore, if the surface is bouncy, then the batsman is in even more trouble, already contending with a delivery that hurries after pitching due to over-spin, may drift either way, seam either way, and there is a chance to bounce more due to landing on the seam.Due to the seam and swing permutations, and, if the surface is not spinning, the overspinner/topspinner may even follow the trajectory of a doosra.
Category 3
The Real Doosra
Of course the doosra! For this Bhajji usually grips the ball across the seam. Why? because if released as seam-up like an over-spinner the outcome after pitching is uncertain depending on the pitch and weather conditions. It is counter-intuitive but the cross-seam lowers the influence of the seam as well as the roughened-half significantly, making this variation more predictable and strongly dependent upon the spin imparted only. However, the doosra may spin more or less depending upon which half of the ball (rough or smooth) pitches, or, it may bounce more or less depending upon whether it lands on the seam or not. These random events add four natural variations to this delivery.It is a delight to see how Bhajji imparts revolutions towards first slip with his fingers when his wrist is totally bent at 12'O clock. It requires supple wrist and lots of practice to perfect this mystery delivery. Bhajji is a master of this one.
Category 4
Backward Looper
The real gem though, the beauty in his armory, is another. It led some Aussies to say after 2001 Eden and series loss - "it seems he holds the ball on a string" since it proved very hard to predict where it will pitch without any tangible change in action. That observation was spot-on, in fact prior to 2001 such craft was seldom on display. Here it goes..If the ball is well maintained i.e. one side shining and one side rough.Bhajji releases the ball such that the seam is almost perpendicular but unlike an overspinner (upright) or his stock ball (seam facing leg slip) the seam now faces the square fielders. For"back-looper" the shining half is facing the batsman. In physical terms there is net displacement of the delivery away from the side of the shine.When Bhajji delivers the backward looper, since the rough side is facing Bhajji, the ball begins to appreciably decelerate (slow down) mid-air. Therefore very often the batsman is comprehensively beaten in flight. The ball ends up landing 1-5 cm before where it would have normally landed. Enough to hit the edge of the bat rather than its sweet spot. So a batsman only relying on Bhajji's wrists and fingers for clues, is in trouble. Perhaps the best counter-tactic is to play it off the pitch or try and spot the shine mid-air.
Forward Looper
Inverse of the Backward Looper is the Forward Looper, when the seam faces square but rough side faces the batsman. Thus the ball accelerates mid-air towards the batsman. So an example would be a ball which appears short-pitched and ready to be driven through the covers but ends up a yorker..
Bhajji could further disadvantage the batsman with choice of line and length.
But what does a spinner do - spin the bowl! Which implies revolutions imparted to the ball and amount of turn extracted often depends upon the surface. Thus two variables - spin and surface. However, a deeper analysis reveals three more variables- line, length, seam, shine, and weather. Bhajji could use all seven variables in beautiful array of combinations. Here we thread-bare the various permutations he deployed and how. Since it is too obvious line and length are not discussed in much depth. A library of unique variations in Bhajji's bowling armory is grouped below into four categories.
Quite intriguingly, to understand such a high quality spinner one needs to recollect that- swing bowling relies on the fact that the ball swings towards the rough half of the ball.
Category 1
The Stock Ball
Bhajji's stock ball is an offspinner!..but not just..It is delivered with seam pointing to the leg slip and dry half of the ball facing the first slip. The ball drifts away from the right hander or towards the first slip before pitching because of the roughness and spins into the batsman after pitching. This is his typical 'caught at silly-mid-on or mid-off' or 'bowled through the gate' delivery. It is a difficult delivery to master since it requires one to grip the shining side between the fingers.
Purely on cricketing logic, the flipside of utilizing the ball's shine/seam/roughness/pitch/weather-conditions is that, one RELIES on it. Very often only one or two of the above criteria are met and so half the variations are rendered ineffective during one particular session in a test match. But when they fall in place, like in Eden or Colombo, he demands center stage.
The Stock Ball-variation
When the dry-half is facing towards leg slip and seam is still directed towardsleg slip. In this case, the ball drifts into the right hander before pitching and turns in further after pitching. Very often this ball is pulled for 4 or a 6, since so often he drops it short. Apparently, this delivery is still not an honest weapon, it backfires as much.
Category 2
Overspinner/top spinner
While defined as one ball- 'overspinner' or 'top spinner' is a family of possible trajectories the ball may follow. Typically, this delivery hurries after pitching. But as always the real devil is in the detail. Imagine a fast bowlers stock delivery -seam up, except, bowled much slower through the air and with lot of over-spin. It requires special skill to perfect this one specially when delivered from over the wicket. Before pitching the ball may drift towards the batter or away depending on how Bhaj chooses to orient the shining side. Under favorable conditions, I think in the heart-of-hearts even Bhajji cant predict with certainty the outcome of this delivery. Firstly, depending on moisture in the pitch, the ball may seam after pitching. Secondly, the ball may also drift prior to pitching (Category 1). Finally, the amount of over-spin is determined by the revolutions imparted, roughness of the surface and roughness of the ball itself. Furthermore, if the surface is bouncy, then the batsman is in even more trouble, already contending with a delivery that hurries after pitching due to over-spin, may drift either way, seam either way, and there is a chance to bounce more due to landing on the seam.Due to the seam and swing permutations, and, if the surface is not spinning, the overspinner/topspinner may even follow the trajectory of a doosra.
Category 3
The Real Doosra
Of course the doosra! For this Bhajji usually grips the ball across the seam. Why? because if released as seam-up like an over-spinner the outcome after pitching is uncertain depending on the pitch and weather conditions. It is counter-intuitive but the cross-seam lowers the influence of the seam as well as the roughened-half significantly, making this variation more predictable and strongly dependent upon the spin imparted only. However, the doosra may spin more or less depending upon which half of the ball (rough or smooth) pitches, or, it may bounce more or less depending upon whether it lands on the seam or not. These random events add four natural variations to this delivery.It is a delight to see how Bhajji imparts revolutions towards first slip with his fingers when his wrist is totally bent at 12'O clock. It requires supple wrist and lots of practice to perfect this mystery delivery. Bhajji is a master of this one.
Category 4
Backward Looper
The real gem though, the beauty in his armory, is another. It led some Aussies to say after 2001 Eden and series loss - "it seems he holds the ball on a string" since it proved very hard to predict where it will pitch without any tangible change in action. That observation was spot-on, in fact prior to 2001 such craft was seldom on display. Here it goes..If the ball is well maintained i.e. one side shining and one side rough.Bhajji releases the ball such that the seam is almost perpendicular but unlike an overspinner (upright) or his stock ball (seam facing leg slip) the seam now faces the square fielders. For"back-looper" the shining half is facing the batsman. In physical terms there is net displacement of the delivery away from the side of the shine.When Bhajji delivers the backward looper, since the rough side is facing Bhajji, the ball begins to appreciably decelerate (slow down) mid-air. Therefore very often the batsman is comprehensively beaten in flight. The ball ends up landing 1-5 cm before where it would have normally landed. Enough to hit the edge of the bat rather than its sweet spot. So a batsman only relying on Bhajji's wrists and fingers for clues, is in trouble. Perhaps the best counter-tactic is to play it off the pitch or try and spot the shine mid-air.
Forward Looper
Inverse of the Backward Looper is the Forward Looper, when the seam faces square but rough side faces the batsman. Thus the ball accelerates mid-air towards the batsman. So an example would be a ball which appears short-pitched and ready to be driven through the covers but ends up a yorker..
Bhajji could further disadvantage the batsman with choice of line and length.
4 comments:
The analysis is awesome and I appreciate your interest in offspin bowling of Bhajji.
Thanks Anurag.
Your comments have been encouraging..
Great observation Amit ..Good One!
Thanks Javed!!
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