Visiting teams use to shudder at the thought of tackling three, sometimes four spinners, on turning India wickets
Visiting teams use to shudder at the thought of tackling three, sometimes four spinners, on turning India wickets. And while nature of the wickets hasn't particularly changed, quality of India spinners has been on the wane.
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Former India spinner Erapalli Prasanna |
And if former India legend Erapalli Prasanna is to be believed, the fall in standards was just waiting to happen.
Yesterday, India middle-order batsman VVS Laxman in an interview expressed concern over quality of India's spin bench strength. He said he was disappointed with the spinners that he has come across. "To say the Indian cricket board has neglected the development of spinners would be an understatement," Prasanna told MiD DAYu00a0yesterday.
"Spinners need to be cultivated. At least three years of work goes into preparing a quality spinner. The Board expects consultants to work with the boys for 10-15 days and deliver results. That's not possible. Also, there is a need to have an academy dedicated specifically to groom spinners," Prasanna added.u00a0
Prasanna, who was part of the deadly India spin quartet which included the likes of Bishan Singh Bedi, Bhagwat Chandrasekhar and S Venkatraghavan, felt that there was no system in place... no blueprint. What the BCCI is doing currently, is routine.
"Ideally, the Board should create a facility where people like Bedi and me would be given charge of upcoming spinners. We would then be able to spend time with themu00a0 and over the years, create a sturdy supply line," Prasanna said and announced that he was open for a dialogue with the Indian cricket board, provided he is offered a concrete role and a handsome remuneration.
