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Matthew Hayden believes Indian skipper Anil Kumble will be back for one last fling at the Australians in this week’s third Test in Delhi, but not as part of a three-pronged spin attack.
There has been talk around the Indian capital that a dry Feroz Shah Kotla ground pitch and a touring middle order vulnerable to quality spin will combine to encourage selectors to pick Kumble, Harbhajan Singh and legspinner Amit Mishra in the same team.
However Hayden pointed out that the problems the Australians have faced at the hands of reverse swing merchants Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma made it near impossible for either of them to make way, regardless of the conditions.
“I don’t think they are going to do that (play three spinners),” he said today.
“I think they will stick with their pace combination.
“The reverse swinging ball has been the one that has caused us the most trouble.
“You would assume that a fit Kumble would be back amongst it and he has a very good record here.
“He comes into play here because it is an up and down type of track so the variation in height is something he really needs to be effective.
“Any other conditions he is more or less out of play.”
Delhi bowling coach Manoj Prabhakar said the wicket at the Kotal ground would be dry and abrasive, aiding reverse swing.
“It will get reverse swing,” he said.
“There is no grass, and what they have done they have put red soil with the mud so it gets more roughened.
“If you do not leave the grass there the ball is going to be very, very quickly reverse swinging, you can start doing it in 10 overs.”
Hayden defined three distinct phases of batting in India, and bemoaned the fact that with 42 runs in four Test innings he had not yet reached the third stage on this tour.
“There are three unique stages of the game here that I have had a bit more of a think about. If you watch the way (Virender) Sehwag goes about his cricket here, or any of them go about their cricket,” Hayden said.
“The new ball is there to be hit, the flatter ball from 15 overs to 50 overs, a lot of use of pace, a lot of nudging into gaps, not so many big scoring areas down the ground and in front of the wicket.
“Then it is the softer ball and spinning ball which is the stage I really want to get involved in because I know it’s a stage where I have got a great strength, being able to manipulate the spin and manipulate the ball even though it is soft and score runs.”
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