Published: May 09, 2011, 10:52 AM (IST)
Edited: Mar 22, 2014, 03:01 PM (IST)
By Suneer Chowdhary
For someone who has played ten games this IPL and bowled in each one of, an economy of 5.16 would be Glenn McGrathesque. Juxtapose that with the 13 wickets that he taken and his utility as a bowler who can both contain and take wickets become evident.
Rahul Sharma has sure been the talking point of the IPL this season. In a season that has been expectedly dominated by the batsmen, Rahul, along with Lasith Malinga, has been unplayable.
He has played in only nine first-class games since debuting in 2006. And it took the selectors four years to realise that he could be of use in the domestic 50-overs format (List A games) as well.
And had it not been for the grit that he showed while faced with a career-threatening ailment, it would have been all but over for him. Rahul suffered from an unexpected bout of Bell’s Palsy, a dysfunction of the facial nerve that results in one’s inability to control facial muscles. In his case, it had caused temporary facial paralysis. To not only emerge from the illness unscathed but also get back to playing the game at a competitive level is truly commendable.
Much like Anil Kumble, Rahul is a tall leg-spinner, who does not rely a lot on turn. The height gives him an advantage of bounce, even on tracks which do not assist the slow bowlers. The first ball that he bowled in this edition of the IPL was to Ryan McLaren and it was that quicker one that got enough purchase from the pitch to almost surprise the batsman into inside-edging on to the stumps.
Since then, he has befuddled many into attempting to either pull or cut a seemingly short ball that skidded or bounced much more than expected. The odd one has turned, but it’s the subtle variations of pace and length that has done most damage.
Rahul’s biggest asset is clearly his control. Leg-spin is one of the most difficult art to master. Amongst the few leg-spinners in operation this season, only Shane Warne has an economy of less than six. Amit Mishra has conceded almost 7.5 while Piyush Chawla has gone for 8.88.
As often the case, there is a growing talk of how Rahul could be a replacement for Kumble. Not so long ago, Darren Bravo was expected to fill up Brian Lara’s big boots because of his uncanny resemblance to the great West Indian. Quite often, this leads to escalated expectations and subsequent failure.
Thus far, Rahul was akin to a question in an exam that had been taken from outside the syllabus. Most had not been able to solve it. The surprise element will soon cease. At that point in his career, it will be his control that will stand him in good stead, apart from the anticipation that he would have expanded his gamut by adding to his arsenal of variety.
(Suneer is a Mumbai-based cricket writer and can be contacted at suneerchowdhary@gmail.com and Tweets here @suneerchowdhary)
