Don’t Think Jayant Yadav Will Be Able To Bowl Long Spells: Erapalli Prasanna
Dec 30, 2016 at 9:40 AM
Calling Ravichandran Ashwin the best spinner in the world right now, spin legend Erapalli Prasanna has advised the world No. 1 bowler in Tests to give the ball more flight.
The 30-year-old has 72 scalps to his name in only 12 Tests in 2016. He was the leading wicket-taker in all the Test series that India played this year and capped off the fine year by bagging the ICC Cricketer of the Year and ICC Test Cricketer of the Year 2016 awards.
Speaking to the Press Trust Of India, Prasanna said:“There is no doubt that Ashwin is the best striker bowler we have. He is the best spinner in the world now.”
And although Prasanna is very much impressed with Ashwin’s ability, he thinks that giving the ball more air will make the off-spinner even more effective.
“Unless and until he makes the batsmen step out and drive it will be a little difficult for him. In the back of his mind he has got a leg break which he thinks is very effective,” the 76-year old said.
“But watching him, the batsmen will easily know that he is going to bowl that delivery. From his action you can easily find out that he is going to bowl that one,” Prasanna added.
A veteran of 49 Tests, Prasanna also heaped praise on Ravindra Jadeja, who was the second highest wicket-taker in the recently concluded series against England. He took 26 wickets in including a seven-wicket haul in the second innings of the final Test at Chennai that helped the hosts register an unlikely victory against Alastair Cook’s men. On the other hand, Ashwin picked up 28 wickets in the series as the spin duo once again played an integral role in India’s impressive performance in Tests.
Prasanna said:“We also largely need to direct our success to Ravindra Jadeja because he kept one end tight (against England). These two have largely contributed to our series win against England.”
“Now Jadeja has come to a stage wherein he can read the mind of batsmen and turn out to be a strike bowling match winner,” he added.
Meanwhile, the former spinner is not convinced with Jayant Yadav’s abilities as a Test bowler. The Haryana all-rounder, who made his Test debut against England, finished the series with nine wickets in the three games. But more than his offies, he grabbed attention with his batting prowess. The 26-year-old contributed with the bat in almost every match and scored 221 runs at an average of 73.66, which included a hundred and a fifty.
“If you really ask me Jayant Yadav, I do not think, he will be able to bowl long spells at all. He is an useful batsman for T20 or one-day matches and he can bowl good four overs in these two formats,” Prasanna opined.
“He has already proved that in longer version of the game, he is not a strike bowler. He is not meant to be striker bowler,” he concluded.