COLOMBO – As the big India-Pakistan T20 World Cup match gets closer, everyone is talking about a new challenge: Pakistani spinner Usman Tariq. His “stop-and-pause” bowling style is confusing many players.
However, India’s veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has shared a clever plan to help Indian batters handle this “mystery” bowler.Usman Tariq uses a strange side-arm action that makes it hard for batters to know when the ball will actually leave his hand. But Ashwin believes the secret is to stay calm and use the rules of the game.
On his YouTube channel, Ashwin suggested that if Tariq pauses during his run-up, the batter should simply walk away from the stumps.
By doing this, the batter can tell the umpire they weren’t sure when the ball was coming. This forces the umpire to call a “dead ball,” which breaks the bowler’s flow and makes him lose focus.
This plan is exactly what Ashwin is known for using his brain to find an advantage within the rules.
He said that if he were playing, he would definitely use this trick to put pressure on the young Pakistani bowler.
While some people are arguing about whether Tariq’s bowling action is legal, Ashwin says batters should focus on controlling the speed of the game.
With the pitch in Colombo expected to help spin bowlers, this smart “pause” strategy could be the key to winning the game for India.
