Never give up, Bhajji tells Mishras and Ojhas

New Delhi:

Having seen cricket evolve a great deal in the last decade, Harbhajan Singh reckons an average spinner's life has become more miserable than ever and he advises the Amit Mishras and Pragyan Ojhas to back their talent with toil to prolong their international career.

In an interview, the veteran of 80 Tests and 201 ODIs said an average batsman's approach has undergone a sea change in recent times, something that could be gauged from the fact that scoring 350-plus on a particular day of a Test match is no more a rarity these days.

"Cricket has changed a lot and it's still changing. Truth is, it is even more difficult for spinners to grow," Harbhajan said over phone.

"Now you have a lot of Twenty20s and ODIs, which are invariably high-scoring. Even Test cricket has changed. There was a time when scoring 250 was par for a day but now you have 350-plus or even 400.

"No wonder, you don't see too many young spinners coming up. An average spinner today is scared of flighting the ball or trying to get those big, spectacular turns. That is an art and I'm afraid it is on the wane," Harbhajan rued.

"But having said that, I think we still need to find youngsters who can overcome this habit of containing and are willing to take the risk and responsibility and have enough faith in their ability to do well," said Harbhajan, who has 586 international wickets under his belt.

Harbhajan has been key to India's success at home and abroad and the off-spinner effortlessly slipped into the spin spearhead's mantle once Anil Kumble exited the scene.

Harbhajan now finds himself in Kumble's shoes and he wants to pass on the same thing he learnt from the seasoned leggie.

"They are all talented guys, Ojha or Amit Mishra and you have to give them time to settle. Sometimes, they will find going easy and at times, they would have to be patient.

"My advice to them is to never give up and keep trying. Because that is what I learnt from Anil Bhai and I would pass on the same message to them. They have to keep working hard if they want to play for a long time and bowl a lot of overs for India," said Harbhajan.

Soon after India became the number one Test team in the world, batting great Sunil Gavaskar rued the country was yet to find its next off-spin prospect.

Harbhajan conceded he had not played enough domestic cricket to take names but hoped the great Indian spin tradition would continue unabated.

"To be honest, I have not played as much domestic cricket as I would have loved to. But I'm confident we would never run out of spinners. India has a very proud spin tradition and I hope it would continue", Harbhajan said.

"After the spin greats (of Bishan Singh Bedi, EAS Prasanna, Bhagwat Chandrasekhar, and S Venkataraghavan) retired, people feared we may not get another quality spinner again.

"Down the years came Narendra Hirwani and then Anil Bhai. And then I was waiting in the wings.

"But yes, I agree with Sunny Bhai to some extent. I have played Challengers and tournaments and I think right now, you probably don't have someone who convinces you.

"But at the same time, I'm sure some new talents would emerge and ensure there is no void in the spin tradition," said the off-spinner.