Sport - Cricket

Mendis vs. Indian batsmen — a classic duel in the offing

— Photo: AP

FULL OF VARIETY: Ajantha Mendis has a wide repertoire to trouble the Indian batsmen.

CHENNAI: Can the Indians unravel the Ajantha Mendis mystery in the Emerald Isle? As the ‘carrom ball’ specialist prepares for his Test debut, an intriguing duel with an accomplished Indian line-up is in prospect.

Now, Mendis can broadly be defined as a right-arm off-spinner who has a different release that sows the seeds of doubt in the minds of the batsmen. With his unique grip — middle finger behind the ball — he gets the ball to skid off the surface.

Since he releases the ball late, Mendis can defeat pre-determined strokes by the batsman. Virender Sehwag discovered this the hard way in the Asia Cup final. Quicker through the air, Mendis is not a big spinner of the ball but is extremely accurate for a bowler of his kind. And he has a clean action.

For the delivery that spins away like a leg break, he holds the ball on the seam between the thumb and the index finger — the seam faces gully — and powers or flicks the ball forward with his middle finger. This is his dreaded ‘carrom ball’ that hisses through. Mendis’s fingers are strong and supple.

Apart from his thumb and middle finger, the other fingers appear to be raised when he sends down the carom ball. However, it is still hard to pick him because of his quick-arm action. And playing him off the surface could be hazardous since the ball hastens off the pitch.

Former India batsman and coach Aunshuman Gaekwad believes the Indian batsmen need to play Mendis off the front foot and milk the spinner. Could the young Sri Lankan spinner bowl the disguised flipper from a fuller length to counter this ploy and win leg-before decisions?

Gaekwad elaborates on his front foot theory. “When you are in doubt, you play the bowler on the front foot, stretch fully forward unless the ball is short. You can even stand a little outside the crease.

“You cut down on the spin and his angles, make him change his line. If you look at his dismissals in the Asia Cup final, our batsmen were neither playing back nor forward. This way, Mendis’s patience and variety could be put to test,” adds Gaekwad.

Among the greatest spinners to have graced the game, Erapalli Prasanna, offered his view on mystery spinners, John Gleeson in particular.

“He, too, like another Aussie Jack Iverson before him, squeezed the ball with his middle finger, which was behind the ball, and the thumb. The palm faced the batsman at the point of delivery like a cobra’s hood. The batsman did not know whether the ball would come in, spin away, or whether it was off-spin, doosra or a flipper,” Prasanna said.

Prasanna concedes that it is tough to impart spin and revolution on the ball with this method. “It is here that the ability of the bowler comes into play,” he says.

Gaekwad feels that it is not the easiest of tasks to read Mendis from the hand.

“Normally, you read from the palm and the wrist. But, he has a quick arm action and is faster through the air. Perhaps, you can closely watch the course of the seam in the air.”

In Tests, Mendis could, however, rely on orthodox off-spin — he appears to have strong basics — and employ the carrom ball as his surprise weapon. This could make him even more dangerous.

The stage is set for a compelling contest of wits.

© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu