Simon Harmer's decade-long journey to becoming a world-class spinner for Proteas

Proteas off-spinner Simon Harmer has been the standout player thus far in the ongoing first Test against India, following his four-wicket haul in the first innings yesterday.

Harmer seemed to produce more turn off the wicket right from the start of his spell in the evening session on the opening day of the match. The 36-year-old was also able to adjust his lengths quicker than the rest of the bowlers as he identified that the fuller length was most effective.

As a result, Harmer accounted for Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel and Axar Patel, helping South Africa stay in the game.

"I think (on the wicket at Eden Gardens) you want to be testing batters on the front foot. If you allow them time to go back, it allows them to adjust and play the turn off the wicket,"Harmer reflected on his assessment of what worked at the Eden Gardens surface on Day Two.

"Testing their front-foot defence allows the ball to spin past the bat and brings in both edges, and then trying to get one not to turn to try and bring in LBW. So I think it was pretty evident that you needed to be fuller rather than shorter on that wicket."

Harmer is on his second Test tour to India, having been with the Proteas during the 2015 series, where South Africa were dominated by former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin. Since that tour a decade ago, Harmer has honed his skills in the UK, picking up tricks that he feels are coming in handy in the ongoing series.

Moreover, the 36-year-old has gained a better understanding of his game and is free of the pressure of fighting for a permanent spot in the Test team, a burden he admitted may have affected him during his first tour to India.

Harmer also went to India with only two Tests under his belt and watched Ashwin claim 31 wickets in the four-match series, a feat that put him under more pressure as he was expected to replicate Ashwin’s returns.

"In 2015, I was quite new to Test cricket. Ravi Ashwin was bowling like a jet, and I think he took close to 40 wickets in that series, and it was the expectation that I needed to do the same, dealing with that and putting myself under even more pressure," Harmer said. "Now, I think I’m a lot more confident in my ability.

"I don’t have as many doubts as I did back then, and I was fighting for a place in the team. Whereas now, I feel like I have the skill set to compete. Whether or not it goes my way is sometimes the luck of the draw, but as long as I can look back and say that I put a good amount of balls in the right area, then I can sort of be happy with that.

"Also, having the subtle variations of balls that don’t turn. Sometimes you get onto turning wickets and it’s turning, and you’re just trying to turn it more. Sometimes the skill lies in bowling a ball that doesn’t turn on a wicket that is turning."