Australian leg-spin genius Shane Warne is hoping for double success in the upcoming Test series in India by setting a world bowling record and mastering the hosts’ formidable batting line-up.
The first objective is a mere formality as he is just six victims short of surpassing Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan’s world mark of 532 Test wickets.
The second looks more difficult because the 35-year-old, probably on his last chance to tame the Indians in their own backyard, has never been able to produce his best form on India’s slow, low pitches.
Warne has grabbed only 20 wickets in six Tests in India at an average of 52,25, a below-par performance compared to his overall average of 25,47 in 112 matches.
Experts are baffled as to why Warne has consistently come up short in India. Some cite low bounce as the main reason, while some point out Indians ability to play spin better than pace.
Warne’s reputation preceded him when he arrived in India with Mark Taylor’s squad in 1998. He had established his supremacy over batsmen in the rest of the world with his uncanny skill before running into the nimble-footed Indians.
He began the series with a bang, but ended with a whimper. He grabbed four wickets in his first Test innings at Madras before steadily losing confidence to finish with 10 wickets.
Warne fared no better on his second visit in 2001 as he again ended up with 10 scalps, his best being 4-47 in the first Test at Mumbai.
His duel with champion batsman Sachin Tendulkar was keenly anticipated by fans before each series before it virtually became a one-man show as Tendulkar comfortably won the ”Battle of the Superstars” by amassing 750 runs in six Tests.
A shattered Warne conceded Tendulkar’s onslaught continued to haunt him in dreams and give him nightmares after the tour.
But he is hoping to make it third time lucky.
”I have been whacked around in the past in Tests here since Indians are very good players of spin but I have a few plans for them,” he said in Mumbai on Sunday.
”I had a shoulder injury in 1998 and was recovering from a finger operation in 2001 but am in peak fitness now and since this is likely to be my last Test tour of India, I really want to do well.”
The Australian wizard is credited with reviving the art of leg-spin, having an extraordinary ability to make the ball ”talk” even on unresponsive pitches. His shrewd variations also add to the batsmen’s problems.
He has also been on song since returning to international cricket after serving a 12-month ban for taking drugs.
In his comeback Test series in Sri Lanka in March, Australia’s first after Steve Waugh’s retirement, Warne showed he had lost neither his sharpness nor appetite for the game.
He grabbed 26 wickets in three Tests on pitches prepared specially for Muralitharan and had a major role in his team’s 3-0 sweep. He played two more Tests at home against the same opponents, taking 10 scalps. – Sapa-AFP