Chennai: Former India player and BCCI selector Narendra Hirwani says Karn Sharma’s Test debut has come a bit early. On the back of his impressive performance in the 2014 Indian Premier League, the leg-spinner made it to the India one-day team before being drafted into the Test squad for Australia. The 27-year-old featured in the first Test in Adelaide with stand-in skipper Virat Kohli anticipating some aid from the track for the leggie, but Karn failed to deliver the goods as he could scalp only two wickets in each innings.
Hirwani, who made a spectacular Test debut in 1988 with a match haul of 16 wickets in Chennai, said Karn needs to learn a lot for making an impact in the longer format. “Bowling in Test matches is more of a battle of nerves. No doubt he is a good bowler in T20 and ODIs, but he has to improve his skills to excel in Tests. Leg spin is a difficult art and leg spinners must work harder than others,” said Hirwani.
According to Hirwani, spinners can exploit the bouncy Australian pitches if they bowl the right length. “Pitching the ball in right areas is also important. Nathan Lyon demonstrated it beautifully in Adelaide. Patience is the key,” added Hirwani.The former international said Karn need not be disheartened as he has time in hand. “When he gets the next opportunity, he should be well equipped to cement his place in the team. Leg spinners also need the backing of skippers. Take the case of Pakistan’s Abdul Qadir.
After being dropped after his first two matches, he made a successful comeback with Imran Khan’s support. Shane Warne didn’t have a great start either,” said Hirwani.The 47-year-old, who is also the chairman of the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association’s selection committee, gave the thumbs-up to Amit Mishra in Tests. “Amit would be the ideal leg-spinner for Tests. He has great control over his line and length. He has been doing well in the domestic circuit. Another leggie who has impressed me is Piyush Chawla.
His Test debut was similar to Karn’s. Now he has matured a lot with his first-class experience. I saw him bowl recently and he is probably at his peak. It was also heartening to see leggies do well in the last IPL. It’s very difficult to bat when someone bowls slower. Batsmen don’t have patience these days and that’s why wrist-spinners are enjoying success,” said Hirwani
Harbhajan Singh has said green tracks in domestic cricket are killing Indian spinners. Hirwani concurred with the off-spinner’s comments and said first-class matches in India should have the right blend of turning and pacer-friendly tracks.
