Harbhajan Singh Was a More Attacking Bowler than Ashwin – Matthew Hayden

Nov 30, 2017 at 6:18 PM

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Harbhajan Singh Was a More Attacking Bowler than Ashwin – Matthew Hayden

Former Australia legendary opening batsman Matthew Hayden is of the opinion that Ravichandran Ashwin’s Test record is simply phenomenal, but Harbhajan Singh in his prime had to shoulder more responsibility than Ashwin, as he didn’t have a good pace bowling brigade to back him up.

Hayden feels that the current crop of Indian fast bowlers are the best they have produced. The southpaw faced Harbhajan during his prime and has also watched Ashwin from the close quarters when he was part of the Chennai Super Kings squad in the IPL. Ashwin became the fastest bowler to 300 Test wickets in 54 matches breaking the long-standing record held by Dennis Lillee.

“I think stats often lie but having said that some of the milestones show remarkable respect to Ravichandran Ashwin, who is fastest to 300 wickets in Test cricket. Even if he (Ashwin) plays for another five years, he would be remembered as one of the greats of his generation. His skill-set, like Harbhajan, is masterful but he is probably not as attacking off-spinner as Harbhajan was,” Hayden was quoted as saying by PTI during an exclusive interview today.

He further added that with India’s current bowling battery Ashwin doesn’t really need to be as attacking as Bhajji.

“But then, Ashwin doesn’t really need to be as attacking as Bhajji. His role within this side is well-defined by a slightly better fast bowling attack (as support cast) than what my generation was facing.

“You line-up Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav and put Jasprit Bumrah into the mix with Jadeja as the second spinner as well. So Ashwin is playing his role and doing it successfully,” Hayden added.

“Harbhajan I thought in his era was ‘the dominant bowler’ especially against Australia so if Bhajji wasn’t taking wickets, India were in trouble. I don’t think Venkatesh Prasad was a wonderful Test match bowler. I think Harbhajan was the lone role maker. With due respect, Zaheer Khan or Javagal Srinath were wonderful bowlers, but I think they were less of a threat compared to guys that are there now,” Hayden said.

Matthew Hayden, Hails, Virat Kohli, Captaincy, Batting, India Vs Sri Lanka, Team India
Hayden has been brilliant for Australia at the top. Photo Credit: Getty Images.

However, when asked to compare the two modern greats Virat Kohli and Steven Smith, the southpaw stated that both are destined for greatness in their own way. He also added the names of Joe Root and Kane Williamson as the players who are the fierce competitors of Kohli and Smith.

“Kohli, Smith, Joe Root and Kane Williamson are vastly different players, and the good thing about all these guys is that each one of them is stepping on greatness in their own unique ways along with Cheteshwar Pujara and his ‘Rahul Dravid like approach’ to Test cricket,” said Hayden.

“Williamson’s back-foot play and ability to play the ball late in all conditions is something we haven’t seen in modern players. Kohli’s cover drive and ability to attack bowlers with quality running between the wickets and the manner in which he plays spin is unique.

“Now come to Smith with his unorthodox back-and-across type of approach — with that technique you might say he should not have achieved anywhere near what he is. The reality is that High-Performance coaches should understand that there is not one right technique, most of it is between your left and right ear. These guys are great players as in their heads, they have got it spot on.”

He was further asked about how would have Kohli fared if he had to face the probing off stump line of former Aussie great Glenn McGrath. Hayden replied by saying that Kohli would have found out a way to tackle McGrath just like all other great players do.

“He would have found a way I think like all great players do,” Hayden said.

“You can cast a shadow over technique, and everyone has their own flaws, but the reality is that they overcome those deficiencies with application and commitment. So Kohli would have done fine against Glenn I think.”

Kohli failed miserably during India’s tour of England and Hayden said that he could connect with Kohli in this regard, as the southpaw also had a relatively poor record in England apart from scoring a century in his last tour at the Oval.

“Having a moderate season in conditions like England (in 2014) might have been a good thing for Virat. He has learnt probably what he has to do next time round. I was in the same boat as well as I was scoring 1000 runs in County cricket in England, but during Test matches, I had a certain role to play.

“Well, it didn’t get me results in England, right through my career. It was one venue where I battled a bit because I too had an attacking strategy like Virat. He loves to hit the ball like all Indian players do. But in England, you have to leave the balls, build runs, and hence wise the Pujaras or the Rahanes do well because they leave a lot of deliveries. It’s a different mindset,” he said.

Also Read: (Matthew Hayden Praises Team India; Reveals it Would Have Been Interesting to Face Virat Kohli)

(Matthew Hayden Gives Hilarious Reply After Being Asked Why Was He in India Instead of Watching Ashes at Home)

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