Vignesh, Noor bring back memories of glorious days of spin

When Abdul Qadir of Pakistan retired from international cricket in the early 1990s, one famous cricket columnist lamented that the game had most probably seen the last purveyors of the romantic art of leg spin bowling. True, there were bowlers like Mushtaq Ahmed of Pakistan and Anil Kumble of India, but they were not the sort who gave the ball air and tricked the batsmen through subtle variations in their flight and trajectory.

Further, they also lacked Qadir's flamboyance and charm and were seen more as cricketers than as characters. However, this prediction of this columnist fell flat as Shane Warne, one of the greatest spin bowlers the game has seen, burst onto the cricketing horizon immediately thereafter and blazed a path of glory. Not only did Warne revive the dying art of leg spin bowling, but he also injected ample doses of glamour and enchantment into it through the magic he weaved on the field and his acts off it.

In recent years, yet another rare form of spin bowling has received a fresh lease of life. Left arm wrist spin bowling has existed since the 19th century, but it did not produce many star performers who could popularise the art.

The dismissal of Walter Robbins of England by Ellis Acheong, a West Indian cricketer of Chinese origin, resulted in the delivery which turned from the off stump of right hand batsman to leg, when bowled by a left arm spinner,  being called a “Chinaman”.

The great Gary Sobers, who could perform any role on a cricket field with poise and perfection, was one of the few who used to bowl in this style in test matches. Sobers could also bowl effectively medium pace, so the need for him to bowl unorthodox wrist spin was rather limited.

There were other left arm spinners who could use the wrist to turn the ball both ways and keep the batsmen guessing, like Paul Adams of South Africa and Brad Hogg of Australia, but they could not catch the public's imagination nor inspire youngsters to take up this form of bowling.

It took two factors that happened almost simultaneously to suddenly revive this form of bowling and bring it to the attention of followers of the game the world over. The first was the arrival on the scene of Kuldeep Yadav, who was willing to flight the ball more than either Hogg or Adams and also possessed more variations in his armoury. The other was the increasing popularity of T20 cricket, especially professional leagues such as the Indian Premier League (IPL), where the sides were trying to gain an advantage over the others by looking for unconventional methods and surprise packages.

The talent scouts of IPL franchisees scoured the country and abroad looking for exceptionally talented players, the sort who could be groomed into shock weapons and match winners. They also showed flexibility to go beyond the tried-and-tested strategies and give opportunities to cricketers who did not stick to conventional techniques and methods.

The first week of the 2025 edition of IPL showed the strides that this form of bowling has made in the shortest version of the game in recent years. Amongst the top performers in this period were two left arm wrist spin bowlers- Noor Ahmed of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Vignesh Puthur of Mumbai Indians (MI). They won praise from all quarters for how they bowled to top-class batsmen, kept them under check and even dismissed some of the big names in the game. The team owners have every reason to feel happy about winning them in the auction and getting them into their sides.

Noor Ahmed hails from the Khost province in Afghanistan and was born as the youngest of eight siblings in January 2005. His talent got noticed at an early age when he was selected as a member of the Kabul Region side, when only 13 years old. He made his way to Afghan side for International Cricket Council (ICC) under-19 World Cup in 2020, when he was only 15 years old.

A stint with Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash League of Australia helped him to hone and sharpen his skills. He was selected to the Afghanistan national side in 2022 and made his debut against Zimbabwe in a T20 International. He played in 2023 ICC World Cup as well. He was bought by Gujarat Titans in the IPL auction of 2022 and picked up 24 wickets in the two seasons (2023 and 2024) he played for this franchise. He was bought by CSK for a whopping amount of ₹10 crore in the mega auction of 2025.

The striking aspect of Noor’s bowling is the speed at which he delivers the ball. He has a longish run to the stumps and the average speed of his deliveries are in the range of 90-95 km per hour. This prevents the batsmen the luxury of picking him after the ball pitches as there is very little time for doing so, given the pace at which the ball is delivered. He is accurate, rarely bowling any loose ball, thus denying the batsmen any easy runs. This makes him a potent bowler during the second half of the innings when the willow wielders are looking for opportunities to throw their bats around to keep the scoreboard ticking.

In the two matches he played during the week that by- against MI and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)—he dismissed batsmen who were well set and looked ready to take apart the bowling. This shows the variety and guile he possesses, which makes him a potent weapon on any surface against all oppositions.

Vignesh Puthur had a dream debut for MI in their first game against CSK, dismissing three top-quality batsmen, giving him reasons to smile, though he ended up on the losing side. Vignesh hails from Perinthalmanna in northern Kerala and has not yet played first class cricket nor represented his home state in List “A” matches. He was spotted by former India pace bowler and national selector TA Sekar during the Kerala Cricket League held in September 2024. This earned an invite to participate in the MI selection trials before the IPL auction. Impressed by the bowling of this 24-year-old, which “ticked all boxes”, the team management bought him at the auction at the base price of ₹30 lakh. After that the franchisee sent him to South Africa to bowl in the nets of MI Cape Town Batters in SA20 league and also made him play a few matches in local tournaments in Mumbai before IPL started.

Chosen as an impact sub in the game against CSK, Vignesh came on to bowl after the power play was over. Showing no signs of nerves or tension, he pitched the ball on the spot from the beginning and lured Ruturaj Gaekwad, Shivam Dube and Deepak Hooda, all big hitters of spin bowling, into their doom.

His mastery over flight and the subtle variations in the loop were the reasons these experienced batsmen could not clear the ropes with their big hits and ended up getting caught in the deep. Mahendra Sigh Dhoni's few words of appreciation at the end of the match and the great cricketer's pat on the back must have done his confidence a world of good.

It is still early days for this serious-looking spin bowler from “God’s Own Country”, but if his initial performances are any indication, he has the potential to develop into “God’s Own Bowler” and follow the footsteps of Sanju Samson into the national squad.

However, the road ahead for this youngster is long and filled with challenges and potholes. He will do well to keep his focus firmly on the game and not get carried away by the adulation and media attention that are bound to follow. Reports state that his family has been a source of strength and support for him, and one hopes it remains that way as he climbs the ladder to attain more success and fame in the years ahead.

Well bowled Noor Ahmed and Vignesh Puthur! Your bowling brought back memories of the glorious days of spin bowlers of yore who bamboozled and befuddled batsmen, leaving them shocked, confused and bewildered.