"See him as a Test bowler...": Tim Moody hails SRH spinner Harsh Dubey

India Gazette

26-05-2025

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], May 26 (ANI): Indian spin legend Anil Kumble hailed Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) spin bowling all-rounder Harsh Dubey for his performance against defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
SRH concluded their campaign on a high with a 110-run win over KKR at Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Sunday. Harsh, who starred in Vidarbha's Ranji title win this year with a record-breaking 69 scalps, was the standout bowler for SRH with figures of 3/34. His scalps included those of Rinku Singh, Andre Russell and Ramandeep Singh.
Speaking after the game in the ESPNCricinfo Time Out, Kumble said about Harsh, 'He is giving it a tweak, that is the start. And when you do that, you certainly get a bit of drift. And, more importantly, it goes off the surface that much quicker. And that's something that we see in Harsh Dubey.'
'It is not just about tossing the ball up. People think that when you are looking to spin the ball... he gives it a proper tweak. And even when you are pushing it - you are looking to bowl faster - you still need to give it a bit of a rip. The trajectory needs to be flatter, but you are still giving it a rip, that's what gives you the dip. Today, when he got Ramandeep [Singh] out, and also Andre Russell, he beat them with pace, not just the turn or with... with Russell, it just came back with the arm. He beat them with pace, and that is what you want from a spinner,' he added.
Speaking on his delivery that caught Russell leg-before-wicket, former Australian cricketer Tom Moody said: 'Absolute peach. One thing I have observed - and Anil is a hell of a lot more qualified to talk about spin - with him is that when he changes his pace, he does not lose the integrity of the shape of the ball. He is still overspinning the ball. So when he is looking to bowl quicker, he has still got that overspin on the ball, therefore, the ball then drops and, as Anil says, it really kicks off the surface, spins off the surface.'
'A lot of spinners, when they are under pressure - are looking to bowl it a bit quicker - lose that integrity of the ball where you have got the seam coming up over the top, it tends to come more on the side, so it just becomes a quicker ball, which disappears even further. So it is how the ball arrives onto the pitch is the most important thing. His arrival, the ball's arrival, has always got a really nice shape to it, and dip to it, with the change of pace. Therefore, from a batting perspective, it is a lot harder to judge and just hit the ball out of the ground,' he concluded.
Harsh will get a chance to showcase his skills on England pitches for India A during the first-class games against England Lions in May-end, and a match against the senior India Test squad from June 13 ahead of the Test series against England starting from June 20.
Kumble and Moody both feel that this stint with India A could lead to big things for Dubey.
Moody said about the long-format potential of Dubey, who has 97 scalps in 18 first-class games at an average of almost 20, 'I see him as a Test bowler as much as a T20 bowler. I look at him and think, 'wow, imagine facing this guy on a turning track'.'
Kumble also agreed that the all-rounder has potential.
'We have seen him bowl today in the white-ball format. The consistency is what matters. And that is something he has shown in domestic cricket, of getting wickets. And this is a great opportunity to be part of the India A squad,' he concluded.
Coming to the match, SRH won the toss and opted to bat first. Abhishek Sharma (32 in 16 balls, with four boundaries and two sixes) kickstarted things well with Travis Head. But it was an 83-run stand between Head (76 in 40 balls, with six fours and six sixes) and Heinrich Klaasen (105* in 39 balls, with seven fours and nine sixes) that took things to the next level for SRH. Klaasen clubbed a 37-ball ton and had another successful partnership with Ishan Kishan (29 in 20 balls, with four boundaries and a six) to push SRH to 278/3.
Sunil Narine (2/42) was the top bowler for KKR.
In the run-chase, KKR faltered right from the start and were never in contention. Manish Pandey (37 in 23 balls, with two fours and three sixes) and Harshit Rana (34 in 21 balls, with two fours and three sixes) did provide some entertainment, but KKR was bundled out for 168 in 18.4 overs.
Harsh (3/34), Eshan Malinga (3/31) and Jaydev Unadkat (3/24) were top bowlers for SRH.
Klaasen was given the 'Player of the Match' for his century. SRH ended at sixth spot with six wins, seven losses and a no result, giving them 13 points. KKR end their season at eighth spot with five wins, seven losses and two no results. (ANI)