The off-spinner scalped eight wickets in the Test match.
“Simon Harmer is showing the world what off-spin bowling is all about” voiced Harsha Bhogle on commentary just after the off-spinner dismissed Indian skipper Rishabh Pant.
Needless to say, Simon Harmer was clearly the difference between the two sides in the first Test between India and South Africa in Kolkata. The 36-year-old skittled eight of India’s 19 wickets in the match to send the hosts packing.
The Indians experienced their fourth defeat in Tests at home under the leadership of coach Gautam Gambhir, who seemed pretty confident about the pitch in the post-match press conference. After their humiliating series loss against New Zealand last year, the team started off on another grim note against the Proteas.
The pitches being provided for Tests in India have been a huge topic of discussion since the loss to New Zealand. Being whitewashed in a home Test series should have definitely done a lot more than dishing out the same type of pitch against the Proteas.
The pitches being provided for Tests in India have been a huge topic of discussion since the loss to New Zealand. Being whitewashed in a home Test series should have definitely done a lot more than dishing out the same type of pitch against the Proteas.
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For anyone who watched Simon Harmer bowl in the first IND vs SA Test match, it was nothing short of an artist at work. The off-spinner beautifully varied his pace and trajectory to trouble the Indian batters in both the innings of the Test. Though he did not land a five-wicket haul, his contribution of eight wickets was what took the Proteas home in the first Test.
More than the number of wickets, it was about the way he worked around with his pace and release points was wonderful to watch. It is amazing how an off-spinner can have so many different ways to release the ball, with each one playing a different trick.
Harmer opened the bowling from one end in the second innings, and was effective from the start. The way he used the arm ball from around the wicket against KL Rahul in the second over of the first innings was executed to perfection.
As we can see in the image, the off-spinner’s grip at release was held with the seam almost horizontal in position. Though this is the grip for an arm ball, what it also did was generate doubts in the mind of the batter so as to which way the ball would go. For a bowler bowling spin with a new ball, the ball can go straight if it lands on the non-seam part, whereas it can also turn sharply in case it pitches on the seam.
On the other hand, this is a picture of Harmer’s grip for one of his deliveries in the second innings. As we can see, the seam position at release is pointing towards the slip or short third. The right-arm off-spinner was using a mix of these deliveries to keep the batter guessing and also extract some help from the wicket.
| Bowler | Degrees Of Turn |
| Simon Harmer | 4.4 degrees |
| Keshav Maharaj | 3.4 degrees |
| Ravindra Jadeja | 3.3 degrees |
| Kuldeep Yadav | 2.9 degrees |
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