Harry Brook: Ravichandran Ashwin, among India’s ace spinners, did not seem to mince words when pointing out Harry Brook’s excuse to explain his struggling against Indian spinners. The latter had reportedly said that it was smog in Kolkata, which made the spinners tricky to read; Ashwin debunked this soon enough. So, let us take a plunge into the saga of this commentary, the batting and bowling feats of both of them, and the broader game of spin in the India-England T20I series.
The Smog Excuse: A Weak Justification
Harry Brook made the headlines after the dismissals against Varun Chakravarthy in the first T20I in Kolkata. He explained that the smog in the air was the reason he failed to pick the spinners. However, Ashwin was swift to shoot this excuse down. On his YouTube channel, Ash Ki Baat, he explained how Brook was simply not reading the googly, be it smog or any weather condition.
Ashwin noted that Chakravarthy bowls more googlies than leg spin. The problem, Ashwin claimed, wasn’t the condition but Brook’s inability to read the variation out of the bowler’s hand. He singled out poor shot selection on Brook’s part and his inability to adjust to the subtle spin change from Chakravarthy. Ashwin’s acerbic remark pointed fingers squarely at Brook’s inability to read the ball.
Varun Chakravarthy’s Success Against Harry Brook
Varun Chakravarthy has been the shining star for India in the T20I series against England. He bowled fantastically in the initial games and got Brook both times. Brook was dismissed in the first T20I to a well-delivered googly from Chakravarthy. The batter went back to the leg stump and didn’t read the delivery well and got bowled.
In the second T20I, Brook, responding to the deliveries by Chakravarthy, failed to show improvement. Having adjusted his stance, he wasn’t able to pick up the googly. For the second time around, he lost his wicket. Here is an explanation of where the real problem lies—Brook actually couldn’t read the variations that Chakravarthy was bowling; it had absolutely nothing to do with the so-called smog.
Ashwin’s Expertise and Criticism
Ravichandran Ashwin, an experienced spinner, knows the importance of reading the ball early. He emphasized this in his critique of Brook, mentioning that if a batter doesn’t read the googly from the hand, no external factors like light or air quality will matter. Ashwin also took time to explain the difference between leg-spin and googly, further underlining how essential it is for batters to pick up variations.
Ashwin’s mastery is reflected in his presentation. He did not just attack Brook; he told the audience the nuances of spin bowling. He thereby enlightened them on how the batsmen should play against spinners and understand the change in variations. This did not just reveal Brook’s weakness but also taught the viewers the technicality of spin bowling.
A Bigger Issue: England’s Failure to Tame Indian Spinners
Brook’s dismissals are part of a larger issue for England in the series. They have failed to perform well against Indian spinners, particularly in conditions where spin bowling gains an upper hand. The spinners of India, especially Chakravarthy and Ashwin, have been significant in India’s dominance in the series. England could not cope up with the spin and lost the T20I series 2-0.
The team’s struggles highlight a gap in their technique when facing quality spinners. Unlike the power hitters in limited-overs cricket, spinners require more technical proficiency and awareness from the batter. England’s failure to read variations and adjust to spinning conditions has been a recurring theme in the series.
Ashwin and Shastri’s Collective Critique
Former players such as Ravi Shastri and Sunil Gavaskar supported Ashwin’s comments, ruling out Brook’s excuse. Shastri and Gavaskar mentioned that such weather conditions were not present in Chennai where Brook had the same experience. Shastri and Gavaskar added that Brook’s issues were mainly because of not reading the deliveries and not due to any other condition.
This collective critique from respected figures in Indian cricket only served to emphasize the point that Brook’s troubles were due to technical shortcomings. It also provided further evidence of the high expectations placed on players facing India’s spin bowlers in such conditions.
The Way Forward: England’s Task to Overcome Spin
It will be the third T20I for England, which means a critical challenge of coming out of the problems against spin bowling. The team has to prepare themselves to tackle the conditions and be ready to face variations brought in by Indian spinners Chakravarthy and Ashwin. It is what England needs to face up to and how it would come out of this final match of the series.
On the other hand, India would seek to cash in on England’s vulnerability against spin and try to wrap up the series with a perfect clean sweep with their own very attack that is built around spinners to strangle the opponent’s batting.
Conclusion: A Lesson in Reading Spin Bowling
Ravichandran Ashwin’s take on Harry Brook was nothing but an excellent learning experience in reading spin bowling. It underlined technique, awareness, and adaptation while batting against quality spinners. In the matter of smog adversely affecting visibility, Ashwin underlined that poor shot selection and lack of reading of the ball was really the reason for Brook’s dismissal. The both teams, when the series proceeds, would wish to work further on their strategy related to spin and how they should avail themselves of whatever conditions they encounter.
