New Delhi, February 13 India struggled against Namibia captain Gerhard Erasmus's unorthodox spin, leaving them with work to do before the crucial T20 World Cup clash in Colombo on Sunday against Pakistan's spinner, Usman Tariq, who also employs unusual variations.
Both Erasmus and Tariq bowl off-spin, and they mix in unusual variations.
Erasmus bowled several balls with a round arm action on Thursday night, and some deliveries from behind the stumps also deceived the fancied home batters.
He finished with impressive figures of four for 20 in four overs, despite India scoring 209 for nine in their emphatic win. Erasmus also bowled effectively in the final overs, outperforming the Indian batters.
Tariq, on the other hand, makes an awkward pause before delivering the ball, to the extent that his action has been questioned.
India had expected flat pitches in the T20 World Cup, but the surfaces in Mumbai and Delhi proved challenging for the batters. The pitch in Colombo is traditionally known to be slower, which favors spinners from both teams.
Ishan Kishan, one of the run-getters for India against Namibia, was asked if facing Erasmus was good preparation for playing Tariq and his team on Sunday night.
"No, I think we have already done the preparation part, and now it's just time to watch the ball and play our natural game. So, if the ball is there, as a batter, we just feel like going for it because it's a T20 game.
"And we are trying to set a good total. But we also have to believe in our strength. There's no need to over-prepare. I think at this level, we just watch a few videos and get an idea of what kind of bowling is going to happen. So, we're just keeping it simple," said Kishan.
However, Kishan did concede that someone with an unconventional action can unsettle the batter.
"Yeah, it might play in your head for a couple of balls, but I think at this level, you need to have trust in your own strength as well. Even if he is trying to do something, we can still go for sixes or boundaries.
"So, the important thing is how we are thinking at that point of time when the bowler is trying to do something different," said Kishan.
Erasmus troubled the Indian batters with his variations, but Namibia head coach Craig Williams was not surprised, and he duly praised his captain.
"He trains incredibly hard on all these variations, and I think he plays cricket around the world in some leagues, and that's why he's so good. He bowls all the difficult overs, and he bowls some really tough overs.
"Tonight, again, against a world-class cricket team, he showed the world again what he's got, and his execution was just really good tonight.
"His first three overs went for 16 or something like that, and then to bowl that 19th over under so much pressure – the first ball going for six, and then pulling it back – was just fantastic," added the coach.
