India get a grip on their spin issues

At an optional practice session on Friday, Ravindra Jadeja took first strike against the spinners. He treated them with roughly the same kindness Daffy Duck is used to.

Considering how all their best-laid plans backfired – tossed-up deliveries were biffed straight, quicker ones cut away and even the good-length balls were turned into half-volleys and dispatched – it was entirely disappointing that none of the bowlers accused Jadeja of being “dithpicable”.

Then a 46-year-old man took the ball and bounded up to the crease. Oh boy. Where was this going to go? Slog-sweep to midwicket? Over the training area at the back and into main ground?

Jadeja planted his front foot forward, but realised he couldn’t reach the pitch and was forced to defend. Eight years after his retirement, it still wasn’t easy to play Anil Kumble.

The sequence continued. Jadeja attacked the rest, but he had to be watchful against his coach, slowly building up to a back-foot punch along the ground through the covers. Kumble had basically grabbed Jadeja by the ear and led him into a tutorial on how to play quality spin.

Not that he is a bad one, mind you. Jadeja plays a lot of his first-class cricket on rank turners. He had been one of India’s most important contributors in the last home season, when they played on pitches that spun from day one. His lower-order runs against South Africa were often vital in securing leads. Now he was in Mohali again – scene of his Man-of-the-Match winning comeback from a shoulder injury.

It was here also that Virat Kohli admitted to the team’s problems against slow bowling, after they lost four wickets to the genial left-arm spin of Dean Elgar. Before that they had lost a Test to the genius left-arm spin of Rangana Herath.

Kohli …

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