NEW DELHI: Former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh recently shared his strategy for curbing the onslaught of aggressive batting in modern T20 cricket.
Harbhajan, who boasts an illustrious career with 103 Tests, 236 ODIs, and 28 T20Is for India, emphasized the paramount importance of wicket-taking as a means to stem the flow of runs.
His insights come at a time when high scores, such as 200 runs, are becoming commonplace in the ongoing IPL 2024, highlighting the dominance of batsmen over bowlers.
Harbhajan expressed that the primary objective for bowlers should be to take wickets, even if it means conceding some runs in the process. “I believe that jo kahe main runs rok lunga, woh runs nahi rok sakta (any bowler who says they can stop runs, cannot actually stop runs) [without taking wickets], even if it’s Lasith Malinga, who has been the best bowler in world T20. In modern-day cricket, it’s Jasprit Bumrah. When you take wickets, that’s when you can put a break on runs. To take wickets, good bowling is essential,” he remarked during the latest episode of the 180 Not Out podcast.
He further elaborated on the necessity of skilful bowling to achieve this goal “With skill, you can take wickets, not by fluke where a full toss ball goes up and gets a wicket. But that won’t happen every time. A full toss ball is more likely to go for a six. Your economy rate will be good only when you aim to take wickets,” he explained.
Harbhajan underscored the strategic mindset required for bowlers across all formats of the game. He advocated for a proactive approach where the focus is on taking wickets rather than merely containing runs.
“If you focus on taking wickets, you’re doing your job and also helping the team move forward. That’s the mindset I believe in. Whenever I play any format—T20s, Tests, or ODIs—I aim to take wickets. In that process, you might concede more runs, maybe 10-12 runs, but if you manage to take 2-3 wickets or one crucial wicket, you’ve done your job. That should be the mindset. Sometimes, when this mindset isn’t there, you end up getting hit without achieving anything. On days when this isn’t right, you get hit,” he added.
Harbhajan, who boasts an illustrious career with 103 Tests, 236 ODIs, and 28 T20Is for India, emphasized the paramount importance of wicket-taking as a means to stem the flow of runs.
His insights come at a time when high scores, such as 200 runs, are becoming commonplace in the ongoing IPL 2024, highlighting the dominance of batsmen over bowlers.
Harbhajan expressed that the primary objective for bowlers should be to take wickets, even if it means conceding some runs in the process. “I believe that jo kahe main runs rok lunga, woh runs nahi rok sakta (any bowler who says they can stop runs, cannot actually stop runs) [without taking wickets], even if it’s Lasith Malinga, who has been the best bowler in world T20. In modern-day cricket, it’s Jasprit Bumrah. When you take wickets, that’s when you can put a break on runs. To take wickets, good bowling is essential,” he remarked during the latest episode of the 180 Not Out podcast.
He further elaborated on the necessity of skilful bowling to achieve this goal “With skill, you can take wickets, not by fluke where a full toss ball goes up and gets a wicket. But that won’t happen every time. A full toss ball is more likely to go for a six. Your economy rate will be good only when you aim to take wickets,” he explained.
Harbhajan underscored the strategic mindset required for bowlers across all formats of the game. He advocated for a proactive approach where the focus is on taking wickets rather than merely containing runs.
“If you focus on taking wickets, you’re doing your job and also helping the team move forward. That’s the mindset I believe in. Whenever I play any format—T20s, Tests, or ODIs—I aim to take wickets. In that process, you might concede more runs, maybe 10-12 runs, but if you manage to take 2-3 wickets or one crucial wicket, you’ve done your job. That should be the mindset. Sometimes, when this mindset isn’t there, you end up getting hit without achieving anything. On days when this isn’t right, you get hit,” he added.