Tahir has a web to weave
The Proteas use Imran Tahir as a weapon of sudden destruction, coming on in sharp bursts, aiming to steal wickets.
|||Rajkot - Spin never goes out of fashion, not in India anyway. There is always room for mystery, and the webmasters from both India and South Africa have played a crucial role so far in this tour.
For India, mystical off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, all wrist and extra-long fingers, holds the key that can unlock most defences. With Ashwin in tow, there is always the chance that a match can suddenly change.
Likewise, the Proteas have used Imran Tahir as a weapon of sudden destruction, coming on in sharp bursts with the sole mission is to try and steal a wicket or two.
Long gone are the days when South Africa just use a spinner to eat up the middle overs in a limited-overs match. In that regard, Tahir has come into his own.
It is still befuddling just how his form can differ so vastly between red and white balls, but there is not a red ball in sight for now.
“Immy (Tahir) is definitely a massive weapon for us, and he has come into his own in white-ball cricket,” Proteas spin coach Claude Henderson said on Friday during the team’s rest day.
“The great thing for him has been developing his slider. When he first came onto the scene, he had his leggie and his googly. But now, with that slider, he has become a completely different player. It’s no surprise that he is ranked as the best bowler in ODI cricket.”
A former spinner at the highest level himself, Henderson spends hours every day with his spin team. They talk strategy and conditions, as well as the opposition.
“Being in India, playing against some of the best players of spin in the world, is an incredible challenge. You can’t underestimate that, because these guys really were raised playing spin,” he said.
India’s batsmen, even down to the lower middle-order, are unflustered when a finger spinner comes on. But Tahir is a game changer, because he has the variation to bamboozle many a batsman, and has regularly struck to keep the Proteas in the game.
“You know, to come here and play here, as a spinner, is tough. But Immy loves the challenge and he is always looking for wickets,” Henderson said.
A big part of Tahir – and South African spinners in general – becoming more involved at the business end of games is the liberation of their captain’s mind, which has to do with the amount of time they spend playing in the Indian Premier League. Skippers have learnt to appreciate that spinners are not just defenders, but also weapons.
“It does make a big difference that our guys are here every year, but a lot of it is also down to just understanding a guy like Immy a bit better,” Henderson said.
“If you know how a player thinks, you will know how to get the best out of him, and Immy has been in the setup for a few years now.”
Of course, Tahir isn’t the only spinner in the one-day squad. Eddie Leie came for the T20 series but couldn’t get a game, and Aaron Phangiso has also been kicking his heels to this point in the ODI series.
“It’s tough not playing, but Phangi (Phangiso) has been outstanding in his approach. He works hard at practice, because he knows that the big thing is to be ready. When that door opens, you have to be ready for the opportunity,” Henderson said.
A measure of the respect that Proteas spinners enjoy in these parts is the pitches that have been prepared. In days gone by, India’s groundsmen would prepare dry pitches that would rag within an hour, safe in the knowledge that South Africa’s slow department held few gremlins.
“Ja, we haven’t seen any dustbowls yet,” Henderson joked. “But the tour is still very young. Let’s wait and see in the Test matches.”
That will have to wait, though. Before that drama there is a one-day series on the line, and Tahir has a web to weave on Sunday.
Weekend Argus