Rookies who left Indians in a spin
Indians have time and again failed against names who were yet to establish themselves
By : s. bagawati prasad
Update: 2014-08-02 03:22 GMT
Acclaimed as the masters of tackling a spinning ball, India struggleD against England off-spinner, rather a part-timer till the Lord’s Test, Moeen Ali at Southampton. Despite their reputation, the Indians have time and again got a taste of their own medicine that too against names who were yet to establish themselves over the past two decades
Shahid Afridi & Arshad Khan:
(Pakistan) at Bangalore in 2005
Leading the series 1-0 against arch-rivals Pakistan, India had a simple task: See off the final day and walk away with the trophy. But, Pakistan found their heroes in — Shahid Afridi and Arshad Khan. Afridi (3/13) and Arshad (2/21) supported him to script a famous win for Pakistan and square the series 1-1.
Michael Clarke:
(Australia) at Sydney in 2008
With overs ticking quickly, skipper Ricky Ponting tossed the ball to ‘Pup’ and the left-arm orthodox spinner obliged by polishing off the tail (three wickets in five balls) to hand Australia one of their thrilling wins.
Paul Adams:
(South Africa) at Cape Town in 1997
The Indian batsmen faltered against the chinaman, Paul Adams. The left-arm spinner, better known for his somersault celebrations, ripped the Indian batting line-up apart on a day five pitch. His figures of 3/45 handed India a 282-run defeat and a 0-2 deficit.
Gavin Robertson:
(Australia) at Bangalore in 1998
After taking the off-spinner to the cleaners en route to a 2-0 lead, India fell prey on the final day of the series. Robertson took 3/28 in 12 overs to bowl India out in just 27 overs into the final day. Australia knocked off the required runs to salvage pride.
Nicky Boje:
(South Africa) at Bangalore in 2000
The left-arm spinner was trying to find his feet in international cricket on his debut series. He came up with an inspired spell of 5/83 in 38 overs to help South Africa beat India by an innings and 71 runs to set up a 2-0 whitewash.
Shaun Udal:
(England) at Mumbai in 2006
Desperate to win at Mumbai after trailing 0-1, England found a talisman in 36-year-old Udal to level the series at a dust bowl. It took just 9.2 overs on the final day for the offie to spin a web around the Indians. He grabbed four wickets giving away just 14 runs.