Ever wondered what the doosra is in cricket? Do you know how Murali bowls the doosra? By following these guidelines you can practice bowling a doosra and become a strike bowler!
What is a doosra?
The doosra is typically bowled by an off-spinner. Unlike the traditional off-break that spins into the batsman from the off, this ball behaves more like a leg-break. Therefore this ball can be a surprise variation for a typical offspinner. The doosra (or the other one) was first perfected by Saqlain Mushtaq but was made famous by Murali.
The Grip
The grip for the Doosra is identical to the offspinner’s grip. The seam of the ball running down the fingers and most of the spin being imparted by the index finger.
At the point of Release
To disguise the doosra follow a regular bowling action similar to bowling an off-break. Just before the time of the release, you will rotate the wrist so that it now faces the batsman at the same time inducing more rotation on the ball by using your shoulder as well. Try not to bend the elbow if possible as this might be a giveaway to batsman.
At Release
At the time of the release your wrist should be facing the batsman and your fingers should spin the ball similar to an off-break. But the changed wrist position causes the ball to behave like a leg-break. This finger spin along with the rotation from the wrist and shoulder imparts the spin to leg-break.
Perfecting the Doosra
Although the finger spin helps most of the effectiveness of the doosra comes from the rotation of the wrist and the shoulder. So you will need to make your wrist as supple as possible. The doosra is most effective when pitched on the off and middle on a good length and its breaking away from the batsman can result in an edge, batsman being bowled or also being stumped depending upon the flight, length and amount of spin. The most important aspect is to disguise it by either bowling at a fastish pace and/or changing the wrist position at the very last moment.
You can also try bowling the Doosra slightly differently. This technique is practiced by Saqlain Mushtaq who is the original inventor of the doosra.
You need to ensure that the elbow is not being bent too much. Bending the elbow too much might cause the umpire to “no-ball” you. Bowlers who do not have a supple wrist or are unable to generate rotation from the shoulder, will tend to bend their elbow.
Comments
hey whass up whats it man
hi although you have explained clearly about the doosra delivery but by out reading it i cant able to practice the doosra delivery .so u have to explain with images rwith a perfect video
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