Galle : Indian Batters have a history of being troubled by left arm spinners in Asian conditions. Steve O’ Keefe, Keshav Maharaj, Ajaz Patel, Mitchell Santner, Rangana Herath, all have caused major problems over past few years to Indian Batters, exposing their lack of adaptability against left arm spinners.
In the upcoming tour against Sri Lanka, which starts on Saturday, India will face another such wily left-arm finger spinner in Prabath Jayasuriya, who has already deceived batters in this format of the game. However, this is the first time in his career he will face India.
“The biggest challenge for Indian batters will certainly be the spinners. I certainly feel Prabath Jayasuriya will be the biggest challenge for the Indian batters. He is our main weapon, while Asitha Fernando will be important with the fast bowling,” former Sri Lankan cricketer Farveez Maharoof said.
Jayasuriya has already picked up 125 wickets from 23 games, 81 of which came in Galle, the venue for the first Test of the series.
“We have nicknamed him the ‘King of Galle’ because of the number of wickets he has taken there,” Maharoof said.
He knows how to bowl with the wind, and the wind is going to be a major factor in Galle because of the drift the spinners can generate,” Maharoof observed.
“It is going to be a crosswind, so the Indian spinners will have to adapt quickly to that factor. How quickly they adjust to the wind is going to be massive,” he added.
“If a left-arm spinner is bowling quickly, you need to be aggressive against him and make him change the length. If you use the feet, he will alter the trajectory. And when someone is flighting the ball, if you don’t use feet, you become tentative. You won’t be defending confidently. So when you use the feet, you will ensure the turn is taken care of, and you can play against or with the spin,” former Indian cricketer Robin Singh suggested to the Indian batters.
