DHARAMSALA : Ellis Achong may have only taken eight Test wickets, but one of those scalps gave rise to what is now known as the ‘Slow left-arm chinaman’.
The West Indies left-arm orthodox spinner had Walter Robins stumped in a Test in Manchester in 1933, and as the latter walked off, it’s believed that he’d made this remark:
“Imagine getting out to a chinaman”. Achong, who was of Chinese descent as was clear from the remark, thus went down in history as the first chinaman bowler in international cricket. The wrist-spin delivery came into Robins after pitching on off stump. The remark stuck and over time it became accepted for describing left-arm wrist spinners.
When Kuldeep Yadav started turning his arm over after joining a camp to address weight-related issues back home in Kanpur, he didn’t have anything particular in mind. He hoped to emulate Wasim Akram, but his coach Kapil Pandey put paid to those hopes. So he bowled left-arm wrist spin, otherwise called the chinaman. Not that Kuldeep knew. Pandey had to tell him.
A journey which began then was complete on Saturday as the 22-year-old became the first chinaman bowler to play for India; an outing that culminated with figures of 4/68. Given the dearth of his ilk, he was asked about the art. “I think people find it difficult as normally there aren’t many chinaman-specific coaches. You need to work really hard to master the craft,” he said.
The chinaman has a link with traditional leg-break, and Kuldeep explained why. “As a leg-spinner, if you don’t find the spot, you get hit. It’s just the leg-spinner and the chinaman are similar forms of bowling with one being right handed and other left handed.”
Kuldeep made the spot his own on Saturday.