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Mumbai off-spinners Tanush Kotian and Himanshu Singh recently got an opportunity to interact and train under former India offie Harbhajan Singh at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. Both Kotian and Himanshu reckoned it was a wonderful learning experience with Harbhajan, who has 417 Test wickets under his belt apart from 269 and 25 dismissals in ODIs and T20Is respectively.
“He [Harbhajan] said if the ball’s trajectory goes over the batsman’s eye-level, he’ll always face difficulty in playing it. We bowlers try to hit the ball [on the pitch] but he suggested we shouldn’t, and should instead ensure the ball is in the air. He also advised me on aspects like seam position and hip rotation,” Kotian, 27, who has 131 scalps in 44 first-class games, told mid-day on Tuesday.
Nine promising off-spinners from across the country were called for this specialised camp held from March 23 to 27. Himanshu, 22, who met Harbhajan for the first time, reckoned that his guidance helped him get more clarity on his game. “When such a big player tells you about your bowling, it gives you a lot of clarity about your abilities. He told me that a bowler should know which line and length he needs to bowl to a particular batsman. Besides learning so much from him, I also bowled alongside him in the nets as he offered tips on how I can improve as an off-spinner. He told me how to use the crease correctly while bowling and insisted that I should be mentally strong and believe in my ability at all times,” Himanshu, who has picked 31 wickets in nine first-class matches, told mid-day.
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