Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, in the middle of a fine English summer, believes he can improve his bowling further by varying his pace judiciously on the slowish wickets.
"It is very important for a spinner to vary his pace on slowish wickets like the ones you get in England. If you slow up your delivery, it makes it still more difficult for the batsmen to time their shots," Harbhajan said after claiming three for 33 in the 98-run victory against Kenya in the ICC Champions Trophy match on Saturday.
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His five wickets in the NatWest Challenge came at an average of 8.40 runs per scalp and an economy rate of 2.10.
"I am happy that I could claim three Kenyan wickets but could have done better had the wind not been blowing as wild as it did at Rose Bowl on Saturday."
It was really a strong gale blowing at the ground yesterday and Harbhajan said he had trouble controlling his line and drift in the middle.
"It was very windy and the ball was drifting down the leg side. I usually want to bowl the line of a cover drive for batsmen but it was even going for wides, something which I have not done in one-day cricket for a long time."
All his three scalps were from the Kenyan top order, including Ravindu Shah and Thomas Odoyo who, in the past, have spelt trouble for the Indian bowlers.
"These batsmen have usually done well against us and I felt happy I could come to terms with the slowness of the pitch."
Harbhajan has been named by celebrated cricket writer Christopher Martin-Jenkins in his best one-day international team on the planet and is preferred ahead of Shane Warne.
"It feels good when you get recognition but the important thing is I have been able to settle myself in the team pretty nicely and do my bit for the team."
Harbhajan returned to international cricket after a gap of eight months because of a finger injury but since then has lost little time to take his appointed place in the side.
"Before I had returned, I had said I would approach the season as a newcomer. I am happy in such a short time, I've been able to recover my rhythm, line and length," Harbhajan said.
The bowler is now watching the delivery till the last minute and it has helped him to adjust his line if the batsman makes an advance towards him.
It earned him wholesome accolade after he returned figures of 2 for 14 from his 10 overs in the NatWest Challenge in Oval where even the mighty Andrew Flintoff refused to take him on.
Still Harbhajan is absolutely taken in by Flintoff's class, a cricketer he could have been playing with for Lancashire last season had his bowling finger not played up.
"The difference in Flintoff of today and two years ago is that he is a lot more sensible now. He is one of the fiercest strikers of a cricket ball I have ever seen in my career."
Everything now seems set for Harbhajan to once again bowl his variations at the Australians once they visit them for a four-Test series at the end of this month.
"Past is past. I had never thought (in 2001) that I would finish with 32 wickets. I can't approach the series with any preconceived notions.
"But given a chance, I would do my best."
