India’s legendary off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has urged the cricket administrators in India to prepare sporting wickets in Test matches rather than going for the rank turners. Harbhajan feels that playing on sporting pitches will help the current crop of India batsmen and bowlers to prepare for the adverse overseas conditions in a better way.
"Three day Tests will not solve the purpose. You will get a lot of results and wins, but it's also important to make the team work harder to see the bigger picture in prospect,” Harbhajan was quoted by PTI as saying.
"That will only happen on wickets in India where the match will go till the fifth day. That means everybody will get tested. Fast bowlers will bowl 30 odd overs, your spinners will bowl more overs, batsmen will bat long," he further added.
Stressing on spinners role in overseas conditions, Bhajji said: "More you will play in overseas condition, you will get to know how to bowl over there. Spinners role is very important not just in India, in overseas conditions as well. If you can pick a couple of wickets in middle overs, if you can get that breakthrough you bring in a lot of change."
Harbhajan, who has scalped 417 wickets in 103 Tests, though admitted that spinners usually take time to find their feet in the alien conditions.
"It takes time, over the years you learn how to bowl on different conditions. The conditions are so different in India. They hardly bowl 25 overs, they bowl just 10 and get five-fors. In South Africa, England you probably have to bowl 35-40 overs. You really have to work hard to get those five wickets," the turbanator elaborated.
Even though India have conceded an unassailable 2-0 lead to the Proteas, Harbhajan feels that Virat Kohli and company will bounce back very soon.
"It's been one of those tours where we have not played well as a team. We have toured after three years or so. Let's give more time to this young side," Bhajji said.
"I am sure under Virat they will do well. They have been playing on challenging wickets. The more you play, the more you will learn,” he concluded.
