Panel of experts to revive Indian spin

© AFP

Spin bowling may be Indian cricket's traditional strength, but a decline in standards has prompted the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to set up a panel of experts to revive what Jagmohan Dalmiya, the board president, called a "decaying art".

The body, scheduled to meet for the first time on May 30 in Kolkata, comprises Bapu Nadkarni, VV Kumar, Rajinder Goel, Padmakar Shivalkar, Shivlal Yadav, Laxman Sivaramakrishnan and Anil Kumble, as well as all four members of the famed spin quartet - Erapalli Prasanna, BS Chandrasekhar, Srinivas Venkataraghavan and Bishan Singh Bedi.

Dalmiya told the Press Trust of India (PTI) that, apart from Harbhajan Singh and Kumble, Indian spinners have not made much of an impression of late. "Spin bowling appears to be a decaying art today," he said. "In the past, however, the strength in this department helped India win many matches. But the performance of the spinners with the exception of Kumble and Harbhajan leaves much to be desired."

"After the brain-storming session, a spinners' wing would be set up under the National Cricket Academy (NCA). The talented spinners in the country from all age groups would be identified and put under special training of the experts in the panel," added Dalmiya.

For a long time now, India's former slow-bowling legends have bemoaned the lack of encouragement given to their art. This latest initiative gives them an opportunity to walk the talk.