Former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir has picked former Pakistan spinner Saqlain Mushtaq as the greatest off-spinner of all time edging over players like Ravichandran Ashwin and Harbhajan Singh on the list of the game’s all-time greats.
Saqlain played for Pakistan between 1995 and 2004. He played 49 Test matches and 169 ODIs for Men in Green and dismissed over 400 batters during his playing days. But he will be remembered always for the bowling slog overs for Pakistan and his variations while bowling off spinning deliveries making a name for himself as a lot-time great in International Cricket.
Gautam Gambhir has faced top-quality spinners throughout his career in International Cricket and his teammates in the domestic and Indian Premier League, as he played against the likes of Muthiah Muralitharan, Saeed Ajmal, Harbhajan Singh and Ravichandran Ashwin in the game.
Speaking on Star Sports, Gautam Gambhir has picked Saqlain Mushtaq as the greatest off-spinner in the game, as feels that the Pakistan spinner was different level altogether at his peak and hailed the Ex-Pak spinner for his brilliant bowling in the death overs of the game and recalled the incident of him facing Mushtaq during a England series
“I think nobody was better than Saqlain Mushtaq. I played Muralitharan a lot and batted against Saeed Ajmal, Harbhajan Singh, and Ashwin as well, but at his peak, Mushtaq was different. He was the one who introduced Doosra.
“How many spinners were there at that time who used to bowl in the last 10 overs? People say that I play spin bowling well, but when I went on the England tour and played Saqlain Mushtaq.
“At that time, he was totally unfit, but still, the way the ball was coming out of his hand, I don’t think there was any better off-spinner than him at his peak,” Gautam Gambhir said.
Saqlain Mushtaq was one of the few bowlers who troubled the high-quality players with his bowling during his playing days. The off-spinner invented a delivery (doosra) which later on became the surprise delivery for many other successful bowlers in the world.
Doosra was a very effective option as it confused batsmen from all over the world. He was one of the most important players for Pakistan picking up crucial wickets for them in the middle and slog overs.