Harbhajan Singh's dream run against Australia last year was no fluke – he is a special talent who works very hard at his game, and the way he bowled today, West Indies had no chance. True, he had support from the pitch and a ball – the SG – whose prominent seam helps him, but his control and variety were both fantastic. For a spinner, length is all-important, and Harbhajan was consistently on target. As many as 67 of his 77 deliveries – or 87% – were good-length balls, and a further nine were just short and not easy to put away. The remaining ball was a yorker.

He was equally in control of his line. He bowled 66 balls to left-handers – Shivnarine Chanderpaul faced 37 of these – and 59 of them – 89% – were from over the wicket and pitched either on leg or outside, and spinning across the batsmen towards slips and gully. By the same token, 11 of the 12 deliveries he bowled outside off were to right-handers, which made perfect sense from over the wicket.

But line and length alone are not enough. The West Indians' problems against him came from his variations in flight and turn, which made him lethal. He had both: the weapons of his craft and the discipline to use them to optimal effect, and as against Australia last year, his Mumbai performance could merely be Act 1.

Amit Varma is assistant editor of Wisden.com in India.

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