Jayant Yadav and the joy of bowling the 'perfect offbreak'

Jayant Yadav has toiled away in the Ranji Trophy for more than a decade - his most recent first-class game was his 50th for Haryana - but bowling the "perfect offbreak" still excites him. He is currently Haryana's highest wicket-taker this season, with 11 strikes in two games at an average of 12.81 and economy rate of 2.88. His haul has been vital to Haryana being on the top of the Elite Group A table, which includes potential title-contenders Saurashtra and Vidarbha, after three games.

"There is motivation every season," Jayant tells ESPNcricinfo. "For anyone who has played international cricket and is back into Ranji Trophy, they want to pick up wickets, so [that] they are recognised again. For me, the enjoyment factor is: 'Did I bowl the best ball I can ever bowl?' Once that ball is bowled, I have to bowl it again. The feeling of bowling a perfect offbreak is something that drives me. I don't know how else to put it. That perfect offbreak can do wonders for you - one that gets your juices flowing. Once you're in that six balls of the over, you just go and you just be."

Jayant recalls bowling that perfect ball in his first game of the Ranji season against Saurashtra in Rajkot, though that didn't fetch him a wicket.

"During the Saurashtra game, I was worried about Puji [Cheteshwar Pujara]," Jayant says. "I've bowled so many times to Puji at the nets, but when Puji hits you for a drive in the nets, it's fine. But when you bowl to Puji in a match, you want to get him out. He played me so well and that process got me fired up. I didn't get Puji out but I got others.

"In that match, I think the delivery I bowled to Jaddu [Dharmendrasinh Jadeja] - not the wicket - he had just come in and played for a defence. The wicket turned - it wasn't a rank turner but there were some dry patches there. On the first day, I remember a delivery to Jaddu that popped and bounced. Even though I didn't get a wicket, I know it's still a good delivery."

Jayant is the leader of a varied, skilful Haryana spin attack that includes left-arm fingerspinner Nishant Sindhu and legspinner Rahul Tewatia. Plus, all three can bat, which gives Haryana immense depth. In the past, Lahli has had the reputation of being a fast bowler's paradise, but in recent times it has also provided some purchase to spinners, according to Jayant.

"We've got a varied, all-conditions spin attack. That just showed in the Saurashtra game," he says. "For example, in the first innings, I got into my groove, and we were able to restrict them for a small total and then in the second, Nishant did his thing. Nishant is somebody who is a complete package in batting, bowling, and fielding. Rahul brings a different dimension with his bowling; we don't need to talk about his batting.

"Over the period, Lahli has also changed. Initially, spinners didn't get that much [help], but if you see the Uttarakhand game - that was my last match in Lahli - I think I had three and three and Nishant also bowled really well. Sometimes the wicket in India doesn't just spin because of the abrasive surface, it also spins because of moisture. Of late, there is some moisture in Lahli, so if you bowl well, there's some help for spinners."

Jayant had tuned up for the Ranji season by participating in the Buchi Babu tournament in Tamil Nadu and county cricket late last year. He played three games for Middlesex, taking nine wickets and scoring 74 runs, in their battle to avoid relegation.

"I've been to county cricket in 2022 [with Warwickshire] and 2023 [Middlesex]. September is the time when teams require spinners in English conditions. Once you're playing the IPL, it's very difficult to have a full county season; so when the first time this approach came to me, it was all about trying to get a different experience. You play first-class cricket for a long time here and you see your counterparts going to the county system and coming back with rave reviews about how you're tested as a professional. When you're playing as a professional, the onus, the buck stops with you. I think it's a great experience in terms of trying to get the best out of you."

Jayant particularly relished bowling on a bouncy Old Trafford track, where he wheeled away for 33 overs, while grabbing five wickets, against Lancashire.

"I'm nervous during any game but more so during county because at the end of the day, your reputation [is at stake] and they've called you for your expertise. Fortunately or unfortunately over the past two seasons, I've been part of teams who have gone for survival - like they were trying to win games to stay in Division One. When we rocked up in Manchester, everyone was talking about how the Manchester wicket assists spinners, so I was looking forward to that and yes it was a great wicket to bowl on. You could get spin and purchase if you bowl well and there was enough bounce. I enjoyed it although I went for runs - with bounce, you also tend to go for runs."

At Middlesex, Jayant also got the opportunity to pick the brains of Ian Salisbury, the former England legspinner, and he worked on getting the ball spin out of the rough.

"The major point that Ian Salisbury told me about bowling spin in England was that sometimes you have to work with roughs," Jayant says. "In England, the centre of the wicket doesn't break as much. The English spinners focus a lot on the rough. Fortunately, I was playing against Lancashire and Luke Wood was bowling and he created some rough there.

"In India, you don't generally think about bowling in the rough, and that was a great learning for me. For example, what Nathan Lyon does. Mitch Starc always creates that rough for him but you have to be really accurate as a spinner because it can go either way. If you bowl outside off, you will go for runs. You can have as much practice as you want, but there's nothing like match practice."

Offspinners are a rare breed in Indian domestic cricket these days - beyond Jayant, Washington Sundar and Jalaj Saxena there aren't too many quality offspinners - with left-arm spinners being the go-to defensive bowlers for most sides.

"At the moment, the most prevalent thing is having a left-arm spinner - they tie up one end," Jayant says. "I think being an offspinner is difficult these days, but if you're decently good at your job, you can play an important role in a team. As an offspinner, you need to have skill and a big heart to play first-class cricket in India. At the end of the day, you really need to work around how to get the batsmen out.

"In Ranji, everyone is a good player of spin, so you need to understand when to defend or when to attack. This time of the year, especially in north India, it's difficult to get a bowl, firstly. Secondly, the conditions are different, and you have to bowl accordingly. If I play in Punjab or Haryana or Himachal Pradesh, I can't go all out and attack. [I have to] play a role that gives fast bowlers enough room for a breather and at the same time, you have to think of wickets."

Haryana have 14 points in three games; only Mumbai (20) and Baroda (19) have more across all groups in the Elite table. Jayant wants to build on Haryana's Vijay Hazare Trophy success and carry them into the Ranji Trophy knockouts.

"My mindset going into the Ranji Trophy was all about having impactful performances," he says. "Because at the end of the day, my forte, my skill and my temperament all fit the bill perfectly for red-ball cricket and it trickles down into the white-ball game as well. If I could get my team past the first stage to the qualifiers, and then take it on from there... With Haryana, it's been brewing all along for three-four years. I think this year, everything is falling into place after the Vijay Hazare Trophy."