Bhagwath Chandrasekhar: India's Leg-Spin Maverick
Bhagwath Chandrasekhar took 242 Test wickets with a uniquely unorthodox wrist-spin action that bamboozled the best batsmen in the world, helping India to historic Test victories in England and the West Indies.
The Unorthodox Genius
Bhagwath Subramanya Chandrasekhar played 58 Tests for India between 1964 and 1979, taking 242 wickets at an average of 29.74. He bowled leg-breaks and googlies at near-medium pace — faster through the air than any traditional slow bowler — and was impossible to play from the crease. His right arm had been weakened by polio in childhood, which paradoxically gave his bowling its distinctive ripping quality. He could not bat to save his life but with the ball he was devastating.
The 1971 England Victory
Chandrasekhar's finest hour came at The Oval in 1971 when India beat England for the first time on English soil. He took 6 for 38 in England's second innings to bowl India to a historic 4-wicket win. It was a performance of controlled aggression — the ball bounced and ripped unpredictably off a wearing pitch, and England's top order had no answer. India won their first ever Test series in England that summer and Chandrasekhar was the architect.
The West Indies 1975-76
India's tour of the West Indies in 1975-76 produced Chandrasekhar at his very best. On wickets that suited neither spinner nor seamer particularly, he took 27 wickets in 4 Tests, consistently beating batsmen with pace through the air and sharp turn off the pitch. Clive Lloyd's powerful West Indies side, which would go on to dominate world cricket for a decade, found him genuinely difficult to cope with.
Frequently asked questions
Why was Chandrasekhar so hard to play?
Chandrasekhar bowled wrist-spin faster than most slow bowlers, making it difficult to judge length. The ball bounced sharply and turned unpredictably, and batsmen who played forward were often beaten by the pace; those who played back were beaten by the spin.