Should it be Anil Kumble or Harbhajan Singh? That is the decision India have to make ahead of their crucial game against Sri Lanka on Friday.
PORT OF SPAIN: The Indian cricket team is in a dilemma over the choice of specialist spinner ahead of the critical game against Sri Lanka here. Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh both have given good account of themselves in their solitary games and now a choice needs to be made between them for the Friday's game.
Kumble showed all the traits which makes him such a remarkable strike bowler in the game against Bermuda. The Karnataka leg-spinner claimed three for 38 from his 10 overs but Bermuda being Bermuda, it perhaps was a below-par performance from the champion leg-spinner.
Harbhajan bowled in more trying circumstances against Bangladesh as the latter were off to a good start and were chasing a paltry total. Harbhajan was hard to get away and finished with none for 30 from his 10 overs. His economy, as can be seen, was a stand-out feature of his effort. The team is wrestling with their choice, according to sources, as any of the two spinner could feel hard done by if omitted from the playing eleven.
Kumble is straining under the leash to give a good account of himself in the final World Cup of his glittering career. His World Cup ambitions are well-known as is the fact that he has declared his intentions to retire from one-day cricket after this tournament.
Harbhajan, on the other hand, has been India's best spinner in the limited overs format for the last year and a half. He also brings value to the side as a lower-order batsman and a better bet than Kumble in the field.
The game against Sri Lanka being a must-win encounter, the Indian team wants to revisit their plan again and again before making up their choice.
India's World Cup plans, as is known, is hanging by a thread. Opinions though have started to shift in Harbhajan's favour by the hour. The off-spinner brings good value to the side because Sri Lanka's line-up is packed with left-handers.
As many as four left-handers dot their batting map: openers Sanath Jayasuriya and Upul Tharanga, Kumara Sangakkara and Russel Arnold. In the lower half too, Chaminda Vaas is a left-hander and can strike mighty blows.
To top it, Kumble's record against Sri Lanka isn't that great either. He has picked up 34 wickets from 43 games against the neighbours and has a rather high economy rate of 4.66 per over.
Spinners are seen as key players for teams in this World Cup where wickets tend to keep low and slow. As many as six top class spinners are in the fray: Kumble and Harbhajan for India; Monty Panesar for England; Muthiah Muralitharan for Sri Lanka; Danish Kaneria for Pakistan and Daniel Vettori of New Zealand are in a league of their own.
The best show, however, has come from Bangladesh who played three left-arm spinners against India and all of them squeezed the life out of their more fancied opponents.
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