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While the batters make merry on flat wickets and even when applying real skill on turning and or bouncy decks, it isn't always their day when spinners hit the sweet spot and begin to run havoc on the 22 yards. The spinner can do what the fast bowler maybe cannot even on a great day; such as add elements of climax when the speedsters fail to disturb the timber.
Through tricks and turns, the spinners can outfox the best thinking batters of their day and can, therefore, add so much more magic in a Test battle when the best fast bowlers fail to do so.
Having said that, who are some of India's top spinners who have excelled particularly against England when it comes to international Test match cricket? Let us find out:
Ravichandran Ashwin
Thus far or as on date, the only Indian cricketer, who's been a spinner, whether past or active to have taken over 100 Test match wickets against England, Ashwin, in so doing, has proven himself to be a legend of the game.
There were days when you simply didn't get how he was going to come at you, twisting the backs of the best batters around the world and confusing them endlessly, Ashwin was and will be a legend.
While the great off spinner who deserves to be credited as an icon of the game claimed 115 wickets against the Aussies, having bowled at all their greats including Clarke, Watson, Hussey, Head and Smith, he was just equally dominant against the English.
Interestingly, he finished a wicket less against England in Test match cricket than he did against Australia, ending his Test career versus England on 114 wickets.
But that was in just 24 Test matches to his name. Outstanding, nothing else.
B.S. Chandrasekhar
A spin icon still a tad bit uncelebrated, right?
Of his overall 242 Test wickets, which you have to confess is a serious tally of wickets given how less of cricket the past or older generations' names played in comparison to today's era, B.S. Chandrasekhar took 95 Test scalps against England. This is a serious number. And you tend to understand the importance of this stat when you realise that implicit in these 95 Test wickets versus England were 8 five-wicket-hauls.
If that is not impressive, then what is?
Mr. Chandrasekhar bowled in excess of 1000 Test overs against England, the most he's ever bowled to an opposition.
Anil Kumble
Kumble, a legend of the game and the only leg spinner playing Test cricket for India, with ten wickets in the space of a single Test ininngs, took 619 wickets on the whole.
But a key constituent to his overall success was also his dapper overseas wicket taking record; from 619 international Test wickets, the celebrated right arm leg break specialist took 269 away wickets.
92 of his overall Test wickets came against England, which is a very serious number in that it sees the tall Karnataka-born cricketer just 3 wickets adrift of the great Chandrasekhar.
His best spell ever versus England was that 7 for 115. And he also took 4 fifers against a team some of whose venerable batters were the likes of Atherton, Stewart and company.
Harbhajan Singh
45 of "Bhajji's" 417 international wickets came against England and this was no mean feat. He slogged and bowled tirelessly against some of their finest batters back in the day, such as Alastair Cook, Andrew Strauss and even Flintoff, bowling no fewer than 613 plus overs against this mighty Test opponent.
However, Harbhajan, purely as the off spinner, fared really well against the mighty Australians, versus whom he scalped 95 test dismissals.
