Harbhajan Singh Figures Out The Reason Behind Indian Spinners' Poor Performance In Indore Test
Usman Khawaja countered the Indian spinners perfectly [Source: AP]
On Wednesday, Australia bundled out India for a paltry 109 in their first innings, riding on a spectacular performance from their spinners.
While Matthew Kuhnemann scalped a fifer, Nathan Lyon and Todd Murphy shared the remaining wickets.
Considering the spin-friendly nature of the Indore pitch, India was expected to run through the Aussie batting lineup, as they had done in the first two Tests.
However, the Indian spinners seemed like pale shadows of themselves, as the visitors breached the 150-run mark for the loss of only four wickets before stumps on day 1.
While fans continue to wonder why the Indian spinners didn't look as threatening as their Australian counterparts, legendary cricketer Harbhajan Singh has come up with an answer.
Speaking to the broadcasters Star Sports, Harbhajan opined that the Indian spinners made things easier for the visiting batters by bowling too full on a pitch that had ample assistance for the tweakers from the good length.
"The spinners didn't find their length at the start. They bowled too full and the batting becomes easy in such a case because the ball does not spin that much. When the ball is extremely close to the bat or pad, it doesn't get a chance either to bounce or spin."
Furthermore, the 42-year-old exemplified his point by reminding everyone of how Ravindra Jadeja struck crucial wickets by pulling his length back in the post-tea session.
He also explained what length the spinners should bowl on a pitch which has pace and turn.
"As soon as Ravindra Jadeja pulled his length back after Tea, his bowling style changed completely. He got three wickets later. So, you need to bowl a fuller length when there is absolutely no pace. This wicket has the pace. If you bowl the right line and length on this pitch, which is the good length - where the Indian spinners bowled less, instead of four, seven would have been out today."
Meanwhile, India will be looking to wrap up the Australian innings as quickly as possible when they enter the field on the second day.
 "Debashis Sarangi")
