Indian 'spintriplets’ masters of their art

Press, 8 March 1978, Page 18

Indian ' spintrip l ets’ masters of their art

By

MURRAY OLDS

In the current cricketing climate, the bulk of the bowling bouquets are going to the fast men like Bob Willis and Richard Hadlee, bowlers who can intimidate batsmen and thrill crowds. But the recent tour of Australia by India highlighted another style of bowling, just as ' entertaining, often more graceful and in many ways more demanding — the art of spin.

The three musketeers of spin for India were the captain. Bishan Bedi. Bhagwat Chandrasekhar and Erapally Prasanna, and it is doubtful if any other test team has ever had such a talented spin trio playing together. It was largely the work of these three men — described by the Australian captain. Bobby Simpson, as ‘'perhaps the finest slow bowlers seen in Australia for 30 or 40 years” — that enabled India to almost snatch a win in the gruelling, five-test series.

Between them, the Indian ‘'spintriplets” captured 65 test wickets at a cost of 1723 runs, for an average of 26.51 per- wicket. impressive figures and nearly good enough to win the series. Although they were

beaten in the first test at Brisbane by 16 runs, it was an encouraging start for the tourists. Bedi took five wickets for 126 runs, and Chandra four for 116. Prassana was used sparingly, and he did not take a wicket. Prassana was then dropped for the second test at Perth and replaced by Srinivas Venkatarghavan. The match was won again by Australia, this time by a slender two wickets, and Bedi enjoyed further spectacular success.

His match analysis was 10 for 194, a superb display on a largely unresponsive pitch. Chandra toiled long for his solitary wicket at a cost of 181 runs, while Venkat dismissed two batsmen for 141.

The Australian’s must have been confident when the third test opened at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, but it was the Indians who took the accolades, and the match, to pull one back in the series, with a stunning 222-run victory. Bedi took six wickets during the match fcrr 129 runs, but Chandra was the hero for India. He took

six wickets for 52 in each Australian innings, and together with Bedi, the pair dismissed the entire Australian second innings at a cost of just 110 runs. Heady stuff for a side that had come to Australia in search of its first test victory against that country, and a side that had been all but written off before the tour. It was then on to Sydney, and a second Indian win. This time the margin of victory was an innings and two runs, and the three spinners took 16 of the 20 Australian wickets to fall. Prassana at last came to life, dismissing five batsmen at the modest cost of 65 runs. Bedi contributed five wickets for 111, and Chandra took six during the match for 115. The series was squared, and the Indians headed south to Adelaide for the fifth and final test in search of an historic series win against Australia.

It was not to be. India lost the game, and the series, after a gallant fight had ended 47 runs short of victory. Bedi, Chandra and Prassana could not be blamed for the loss — between them they took eleven wickets for 484, Bedi

again having the best figures of five fui 180. Chandra took five for 188, and Prassana gained a solitary wicket for 116 runs.

Thus the tour ended with India still to gain a win in a test series over Australia, but the side gained immeasureably in cricketing stature with its successes in the third and fourth tests. Much of the credit for the remarkable Indian performances must be given to the talented trio Of spinners, who between them restored the art of spin bowling to its rightful place in cricket —

namely, out from under the shadow of the fiery speedsters like Thompson, Lillee, Hadlee and Willis. The fifth test at Adelaide was Bashan Bedi’s fifty-fifth appearance for his country. He began his test career in 1966, playing in two matches against the West Indies when they toured India. He now has 234 test wickets to his credit, at a cost of 6325 runs and an average of 27.02.

Chandra’s test career began 15 years ago when he played four matches against the touring England team. His bag of test wickets now number 211, achieved at the expense of 5900 runs and at an average of 27.96. He has played for India 47 times. He enjoyed his most successful test series against England in 197273, when he captured 35 wickets in a five-match series for a mere 662 runs — an average of only 18.91. Prassana has the least number of test wickets among the trio, but he first played for India in 1961. He played one test against the touring England side, and has since represented his country on 47 occasions. His test-wi-cket total is 177, which have cost 5250 runs for an average of 29.66. If they can continue in test cricket for a few more seasons, both Bedi and Chandra may well reach the legendary heights achieved by the West Indian Lance Gibbs. His 309 test wickets are a world record, and he took the staggering total in 79 games. Close behind Gibbs comes Freddie Truman, who in a career spanning 67 tests claimed 307 wickets at a cost of 6625 runs.

Bedi, who is aged 31, is still some 75 wickets short of Gibbs’s remarkable total. But if anyone currently playing test cricket is to challenge the record, it could well be Bishan Bedi.