Googly, Doosra & Carrom Ball Explained — Spin Bowling's Trickiest Deliveries
A googly is a leg-break bowler's disguised off-break. A doosra is an off-spinner's disguised leg-break. A carrom ball is flicked off the middle finger like a carrom disc. Learn exactly how each delivery turns, who invented them, and how batters spot the difference.
Spin bowling is cricket's game of deception. A good spinner does not just turn the ball — they mask which way it will turn until it has already pitched and moved. The googly, the doosra, and the carrom ball are three deliveries built entirely around that deception: each one looks like the spinner's standard delivery at the point of release, then surprises the batter by turning the other way. Understanding how they work makes watching spin bowling dramatically more interesting.
The googly
A googly is a leg-spin bowler's disguised off-break — a ball that turns from off to leg (for a right-handed batter) rather than the standard leg-to-off. A leg-spinner normally rotates the ball so that it drifts towards the off side and then breaks back sharply towards leg on pitching. The googly reverses that: the bowler rotates their wrist so the back of the hand faces the batter at the point of release, releasing the ball with an off-spin action instead. To the batter, the run-up and wrist position look identical to the standard leg-break until a fraction of a second before the ball leaves the hand.
The doosra
The doosra ('the other one' in Urdu/Hindi) is the off-spinner's equivalent of the googly — an off-break bowler's disguised leg-break. Where a standard off-break turns from off to leg (into the right-handed batter), the doosra turns away — from leg to off. Developed by Pakistani off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq in the mid-1990s and popularised by Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan.
The carrom ball
The carrom ball is flicked off the middle (or sometimes index) finger like a carrom disc — the finger snaps sideways against the ball rather than rotating it over the top. This generates turn in either direction without the wrist position giving it away. Ajantha Mendis brought it to international attention in 2008 with 26 wickets in three Tests against India. Ravichandran Ashwin uses a version of it alongside his standard off-break, arm ball, and other variations.
Comparison — standard ball vs mystery variation
| Delivery | Bowler type | Standard ball turns | Variation turns |
|---|---|---|---|
| Googly (wrong-un) | Leg-spin | Leg to off (into RHB) | Off to leg (away from RHB) |
| Doosra | Off-spin | Off to leg (into RHB) | Leg to off (away from RHB) |
| Carrom ball | Off-spin or wrist-spin | Either direction | Opposite direction with same action |
| Arm ball | Off-spin | Off to leg | Straight on — no turn, traps LBW |
How batters try to pick them
- Wrist position at release — the back of the hand facing the batter signals the googly for a leg-spinner. Elite batters train to spot this in a fraction of a second.
- Seam orientation in flight — a googly often has a different seam tilt compared to the standard leg-break. Hard to read at match pace but visible on slow motion.
- Ball footmarks — experienced batters check which area of the pitch is roughed up; turn is more pronounced on footmarks.
- Trust the pitch — on a turning pitch, assume mystery balls will turn sharply; stay back and let the ball come to you.
Frequently asked questions
What is a googly in cricket?
A googly is a leg-spin bowler's disguised off-break. A normal leg-break turns from off to leg (into a right-handed batter). The googly reverses that — the bowler changes their wrist position to turn the ball the other way. Invented by B.J.T. Bosanquet around 1900, also called the 'wrong-un' in Australia.
What is a doosra in cricket?
The doosra ('the other one' in Urdu) is an off-spinner's disguised leg-break — the standard off-break turns into the right-handed batter, the doosra turns away. Invented by Pakistan's Saqlain Mushtaq in the 1990s, it is controversial because delivering it legally without flexing the elbow is biomechanically very difficult.
What is a carrom ball?
A carrom ball is flicked off the middle finger sideways, like a carrom disc. The snap generates spin in either direction without an obvious wrist-position change, making it very hard to read. Sri Lanka's Ajantha Mendis popularised it in 2008; R. Ashwin has also used it consistently.
Which is harder to pick — a googly or a doosra?
Most batters consider the googly harder in practice because it comes from a leg-spin action that is already harder to read than off-spin, and the wrist position change can be very small. The doosra, while biomechanically controversial, tends to produce slightly more visible seam differences in flight.