Whenever a captain feels that his bowlers are being smashed all over the park, including his prime bowler, the captain sometimes has to change his plans and bring in a part-timer who can fox the batters with his unorthodox deliveries. A part-time bowler can do what the team’s prime bowlers can’t.
Indian team earlier had part-time bowlers who did the job for the team whenever the team required them to or whenever the team’s main bowlers failed to take a wicket or halt the opposition’s scoring rate. Some Indian part-time bowlers we are about to mention in our list were legendary batters in the past, but when it came to bailing the team out with their bowling, they stepped up.
This article will discuss the five Indian part-time bowlers who delivered for the team during demanding conditions.
These part-timers listed below were match-winners with the bat, but when it came to doing the job with the ball, they delivered. They had different skill sets, variations, and different bowling actions, but they were pretty effective during pressure situations.
#5 Suresh Raina
As with his quick fielding, Raina was a handy part-time spinner, especially in the limited and shorter format. The 36-year-old bowled right-arm off-spin, bowled slower through the air and made the batters play the big shot, ultimately finding the fielder. There have been instances when India’s prime bowlers couldn’t take crucial wickets, but Raina’s deceptive spin helped getting breakthroughs in the middle overs.
The Uttar Pradesh born was a match-winner in all departments. The left-hander took 36 wickets in 226 ODIs with the best bowling figures of 3/34. The former Chennai Super Kings player also took 13 wickets in 78 T20Is with the best bowling figures of 2/6.
#4 Yuvraj Singh
The 41-year-old bowled slow left-arm orthodox and gave a lot of air which sometimes foxed even a well-set batsman. Yuvraj wanted to be a pacer during his junior days. Still, later on, he realised that he was a better batsman, so simultaneously, he also focused on becoming a part-time spinner. The Chandigarh born bowled well in the middle overs and made the batsmen commit mistakes.
Like Raina, the left-hander was a match-winner in all departments, whether it was his batting, fielding, or bowling. In 304 ODIs, Yuvraj took 111 wickets with the best bowling figures of 5/31. In 58 T20Is, Yuvraj took 29 wickets with the best bowling figures of 3/17. The former middle-order batsman took wickets of big players as his side-arm action, combined with his flight, created problems for any well-set batsman.
#3 Virender Sehwag
The ‘Nawab of Najafgarh’ was a crucial part-timer for bowling in the middle overs. The 44-year-old even turned the ball on turning wickets, and even outsmarted the batters with his flighted ones.
In 104 Tests, Sehwag took 40 wickets with the best bowling figures of 5/104. In 251 ODIs, the former opener took 96 wickets with the best bowling figures of 4/6.
In overcast conditions and on turning wickets, the off-spinner sometimes surprised the batsmen with his turn even when some of the best spinners couldn’t extract enough turn. The 44-year-old was clever enough to read the wicket and bowl accordingly. The destructive opening batter’s side-arm action also made it difficult for the batsmen to judge his deliveries, especially on fast wickets when the ball comes fast onto the bat.
#2 Sourav Ganguly
The ‘Prince of Kolkata’ was rightly called the ‘Man with the Golden arm’ due to his ability to break partnerships when other bowlers struggled to get a breakthrough. Ganguly’s gentle medium pace and off-cutters baffled the set batsmen putting them in two minds.
The former Indian captain took 100 wickets in 311 ODIs with the best bowling figures of 5/16. In 113 Test matches, the former opener took 32 wickets with the best bowling figures of 3/28. Ganguly troubled the batters with his in-dippers, as his deliveries were sometimes challenging to read.
#1 Sachin Tendulkar
We all know that the “Master Blaster” was a nightmare for the opposition with the bat, but the legend could put a halt to the opposition’s run rate when the team’s main bowlers couldn’t.
The 48-year-old bowled medium pace during the early 1990s but later started to bowl leg break or off-break. The Mumbai born even surprised the batters with his faster ones which surprised the batsmen. The right-hander was quite effective with his variations as he foxed the batters with his flight.
Tendulkar took 46 wickets in 200 Test matches with the best bowling figures of 3/10. Tendulkar took 154 wickets in 463 ODIs with the best bowling figures of 5/32. The 48-year-old was challenging to hit on wickets that offered turn. The former skipper’s loose deliveries were difficult to hit as he changed the pace at the last moment.