In cricket, we have seen many kinds of bowling actions and bowling styles. As the batsman gets smarter, bowlers try to make different actions to contain the run and take the wicket. There are different names for different types of action. One such action is the doosra ball in cricket.
Spin bowlers bowl doosra ball as a confusion technique to confuse the batsman. When a batsman is well settled and the ball comes perfectly to the bat, the spin bowler that the captain trusted to contain the match will have this in his arsenal to take the wicket.
We can say that a bowler has bowled a doosra when an off-spinner does the action of an off-breaker. Also, during the delivery of the doosra ball in cricket, the bowler will hide the ball by turning his wrist and showing his forearm to surprise the batsman.
This ball hiding is the main tactic the bowler uses to confuse the batsman on which type of ball he will bowl. So when an off-spinner hides the ball and bowls an off-breaker, the batsman will be completely unprepared to face the ball, resulting in a wicket.
Who Invented the Doosra Ball in Cricket?
Since the time doosra was invented, this has been the main weapon in the off-spinners arsenal to dismiss the settled batsman. Pakistani domestic cricketer Aslam Khan is the first person to invent the doosra ball in cricket. Even though Aslam Khan invented the doosra ball, it was popularised by another player.
In the international standard during the match between Pakistan and Australia in 2001, Australia was trashing the Pakistan bowling order for a fast win in the ODI game. During the final ball of the 14th, Pakistani veteran Saqlain Mushtaq took the page out of Aslam Khan and bowled a doosra.
The facing batsman Damien Martyn was caught off guard and tried to deflect the ball with a dot, but due to the unorthodox action of the ball, it hit the bat and went to the slip specially placed by the captain for this purpose.
And thus, the doosra ball in cricket was born. After the successful execution of doosra, many off-spinners have used this technique to make this the deadliest delivery in his arsenal.
How to Bowl Doosra Bowling?
As we discussed earlier doosra ball in cricket is bowled when an off-spinner does the action of off breaker, the ball makes a curve on the pitch, and it will go on an odd path to confuse the bowler on how to tackle the ball. As a result, the batsman will be pushed to make a mistake, and thus the bowler will be picking the much-needed break.
So to bowl a doosra, some steps must be followed to successfully execute the doosra. Failing in these steps will result in a loose ball, and the end result will be a huge boon to the batsman to smash the ball out of the park.
The ball’s the first and most important factor in bowling the doosra. The ball must be gripped with your ring finger and index finger, and the thumb must stick out. The next thing to be noted in the grip is that the backhand should face the batsman so that he will not know which ball you will bowl.
The next big action in executing the doosra ball in cricket will be to turn your wrist as much as possible for the execution. A player like Muttiah Muralitharan, known as the king of the doosra, has bowled this ball without any difficulty thanks to the double-jointed wrist and elbow he was born with.
The next step will be releasing the ball, which will happen at an odd angle. The arm will be completely turned, and due to the rotation of the wrist, the back of the hand will be facing the batsman at this position and during the release, flick the ball with your index finder so that it will spin in the opposite direction.
Thus the perfect doosra is executed following the above-mentioned method.
Why is Doosra Bowling Banned in Cricket?
Doosra, in particular, is not banned in cricket because doosra is a legal delivery bowled by the off-spinner with the wrong turn. However, certain rules must be followed in cricket while bowling any kind of ball.
The degree to which the elbow of the bowler extends is all considered while bowling. So it is set that the angle of the elbow at the release of the ball cannot be more than 15 degrees, and failing to correct it will become an illegal delivery.
Since the doosra ball in cricket puts more pressure on the bowler’s wrist, it can go into an unconventional angle. It was these deliveries that were classified and banned in cricket history. In general, doosra was never banned in cricket.
One such event is South African Johan Botha was banned from bowling a doosra ball in cricket due to the angle he produced in his arm during the execution of the doosra. He was allowed to bowl any kind of ball, but he could not bowl a doosra in his carer.
What is the Difference Between Googly And Doosra in Cricket?
Usually, when an off-spinner bowls, the ball is spined left to right. But when an off-spinner bowls doosra, the ball spins right to left, creating an opposite swing on pitching to the surface. This type of creating the wrong turn in off spin is called doosra in cricket.
When we think about the leg spinner who bowls an opposite-direction ball, then it is called googly. Usually, the ball turns from right to left, but when a bowler attempts googly, it spins left to the right. In general, The off-spinner trying to execute leg spin is called doosra, and the leg spinner trying to execute off-spin is called googly.
Who is the Best Doosra Bowler in Cricket?
In the history of cricket, the deadliest bowler to wield doosra to his potential is Sri Lankan veteran Muttiah Muralitharan. He was born with a natural double joint wrist, and his arm is slightly bent at the elbow. These are all-natural that happened with his birth.
When Saqlain Mushtaq executed the doosra ball in cricket, he showed how odd your arm would be bent during the execution. Still, with Muttiah Muralitharan, this action seemed just like any other ball due to the arm’s flexibility.
In many interviews, Muralitharan has admitted that he was bowling doosra this well; that is all thanks to god for creating him with these double joints and bent elbow. With these, he was able to use his arm more in the rotation, and thus the ball released will be a bullseye.
Doosra, the Ultimate Weapon of an Off Spinner.
After seeing the complete history of the doosra ball in cricket, we can conclude that this ball is an ultimate weapon that an off-spinner can use in his arsenal to take the wicket of the settled batsman in the crease.
However, executing the doosra is not easy, and it requires many days of practice to execute it perfectly. A hairline of error will either cause the huge bowler runs are banned him for overthrowing the rules in the delivery. So a bowler has to be very cautious in bowling a doosra. It can be said that the risk the bowler takes will be greatly rewarded with the doosra is executed perfectly.
