Harbhajan Singh agrees with Ravi Shastri's statement that Kuldeep Yadav is better than R Ashwin

Harbhajan Singh believes Kuldeep is a wicket taking bowler and Ashwin isn't.

Kuldeep Yadav | GETTY

Ravi Shastri, India's head coach recently rated Kuldeep Yadav over R Ashwin and called him the number one Test spinner for India overseas. Harbhajan Singh, the veteran India spinner agrees with Shastri. 

Harbhajan said the team is now looking for wicket taking bowlers and Ashwin hasn't proved himself to be one of them. 

"With what Ravi bhai (Shastri) has said about Kuldeep being your no.1 spinner in overseas conditions, I think the team is now going to that zone where they are looking for wicket-taking options.

"Look, R Ashwin started off so well in England and was a joy to watch in the first Test but he lost his way as the series progressed and Moeen Ali overshadowed him. It's a tough call but I am sure it's in the best interest of the team," Harbhajan told India Today.

Ashwin is often called 'home track bully' because of the difference in his home and overseas performance. "Ashwin's home record is impressive but his overseas record is not the same. That's why the team management seems to think Kuldeep should be preferred over Ashwin," Harbhajan said.

"Kuldeep Yadav made most of the opportunity he got. To get five wickets away as he did at Sydney is no mean task. I think Jadeja did well too by performing at Melbourne, Sydney and at the Oval in England. So I think this spin duo could take things forward from here," he added.

The wrist spinners are dominating cricket currently, Ravi Shastri had acknowledged and Harbhajan believes it's true. "Wrist spinners are in demand simply because they have more variations. You have a leg spinner, a googly, a flipper and top spinner. Then, of course, you have other small variations like deceiving in the flight.

"Talking about finger spinners, if you are an off-spinner who does not have a 'doosra' or a carrom ball or a ball that goes away, your difficulty will compound. Unless you are a Muralitharan who would spin so big that you know runs will only come from the leg side because if the batsmen try to hit through the off side it will still create wicket-taking opportunities. To survive in today's cricket you need more than one variation," he added.

(With India Today Inputs)

 
 

By Sihyeu Singh - 07 Feb, 2019

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