Top 10 Dosra Bowlers Who Redefined Spin Magic in Cricket

Explore 10 legendary Dosra bowlers who changed spin bowling forever with mystery, mastery, and magic on the pitch.

Introduction

In the world of cricket, here are the 10 Dosra Bowlers who made life miserable for even the most famous batsmen. Friends, the Dosra is a delivery bowled by an off-spinner. This ball is so dangerous that batsmen often end up losing their wickets. The batsman waits for a regular off-spin, but suddenly comes the Dosra — and then what happens? The batsman gets out.

Just like the most dangerous weapon of a leg-spinner is the googly, similarly, off-spinners use the Dosra to trap batsmen. It is a natural skill that only very few spinners are able to learn. So friends, in today’s article, we will show you 10 such Dosra Bowlers who made the lives of famous batsmen a nightmare

Number One – Saqlain Mushtaq (Pakistan)

At number one on our list is Saqlain Mushtaq from Pakistan. He was one of the most dangerous spin bowlers in cricket history. He was often called the biggest magician in the cricket world. Today, every spinner in the world tries to learn the dosra, even changing their bowling action for it — but most still fail.

Why? Because dosra is such a rare skill that not only gets batsmen out but also scares them. Saqlain Mushtaq was the first to introduce the dosra in cricket. He is the only one whose dosra was never banned. With great skill, he bowled off-spin and also spun the ball in the opposite direction (leg-spin), which he named dosra. Saqlain remains one of the most legendary Dosra Bowlers in the history of cricket. Even today, when we talk about top Dosra Bowlers, his name is always mentioned with pride.

If Saqlain hadn’t come into cricket, maybe no one would even know what dosra is today. After him, this art was learned by bowlers like Saeed Ajmal, Harbhajan Singh, and Muralitharan. Soon, every spinner in the world wanted to learn it.

That’s why it’s fair to say: all the Dosra Bowlers in the world are students of Saqlain Mushtaq.

Number Two – Sunil Narine (West Indies)

Sunil Narine was a deadly spinner from the West Indies. However, restrictions imposed by the ICC ruined his bowling career. When he entered international cricket, he created chaos with his destructive bowling. He was so successful in the beginning that every cricket league in the world wanted to sign him.

He quickly left other spinners behind and began dismissing top-class batsmen. Whether it was the last over or a crucial wicket, Sunil Narine was the go-to man. His variations were so dangerous that no batsman could escape his web.

But when his magical bowling started gaining attention, the ICC banned his dosra and restricted his bowling action — destroying the career of one of the most talented Dosra Bowlers.

Number Three – Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka)

Muralitharan from Sri Lanka was a magical spinner, often called the most lethal bowler in cricket. Batsmen who played during his era knew that facing Murali was like facing fear itself. His leg-spin and dosra became famous when he destroyed the careers of some of the greatest batsmen.

Legendary batsman Sachin Tendulkar once said, “Facing Murali is like standing in front of death.” From off-spin to dosra, he mastered every skill, trapping even the best batsmen.

At that time, pitches were not spin-friendly, but Murali’s magic worked on all surfaces. When his bowling started silencing world-class batsmen, the ICC called his action illegal and banned his dosra. But Murali’s brilliance continued, and he became the only bowler to take the highest number of wickets in international cricket — a true legend among the Dosra Bowlers of the game. Even today, when cricket fans talk about the greatest Dosra Bowlers, Murali’s name always comes at the top.

Number Four – Saeed Ajmal (Pakistan)

People once said no one would be a bigger magician than Murali in the 21st century — and then came Saeed Ajmal. His magical bowling destroyed batsmen all over the world. He had mastered every bowling skill needed to dismantle a batting lineup.

Usually, off-spinners use dosra to take wickets, but Ajmal even introduced teesra (a third type) to crush top teams. He was the No. 1 bowler in T20s, ODIs, and Test cricket for several years.

To understand how dangerous he was, just know this — he took 100 wickets in only 20 Test matches. He hunted English batsmen like a lion hunts sheep. But in 2014, due to his rising threat, he was banned. Still, during the time he played, he amazed everyone and earned his place among the greatest Dosra Bowlers in history.

Friends, you must have heard the name of this magician spinner from Sri Lanka. Mendis, who became famous because of his strange bowling action, used to easily trap batters in his web.

His career was full of many controversies. When he was at the peak of his career, he was banned just because his Dosra was too dangerous. He troubled many batters in his career and did things that no other bowler could do. He was a very underrated bowler.

Before coming into cricket, he was a soldier. When he bowled, no batter in the world wanted to face his Dosra. That’s why Mendis is one of the most dangerous Dosra Bowlers in cricket history.

Number Six – Harbhajan Singh (India)

Friends, Harbhajan’s career was full of controversies. Whether it was taking wickets on the field or showing anger, Harbhajan was always ahead. Because of these things, he was also called the bad boy of cricket. Once, in anger, he even slapped Sreesanth, and after that, he was banned. Just like he showed his anger, he also bowled brilliantly and often troubled the batters of the opposing team.

He was also called the dangerous Dosra master of the cricket field. You can guess the magic of his bowling from the fact that when he bowled the Dosra, even the best batters looked weak. Because of his rising fame, ICC banned his magical delivery, the Dosra, in 2004. And finally, the batters were able to breathe a sigh of relief. Truly, Harbhajan was one of the boldest Dosra Bowlers in the game.

Friends, Johan Botha is a bowler in our list who comes from South Africa. He is remembered for his dangerous off-spin bowling. But it’s not like he didn’t bowl the Dosra. His most dangerous spell was against India, where he took the wickets of many famous batters using his Dosra.

His action was very simple. To bowl the Dosra, he used his fingers. They say that to trap a bowler, batters try to read their action, and that was Johan’s secret – he never let anyone read his action. Johan Botha surely deserves his place among the clever Dosra Bowlers

Number Eight – Sohag Gazi (Bangladesh)

Earlier, people used to say that Bangladesh would never have a good spinner. But Sohag Gazi proved everyone wrong when he took six wickets and scored a century in the same match, shocking the world.

Sohag Gazi is considered one of those magical bowlers who mastered the Dosra. Watching his brilliant bowling was truly enjoyable. Though he was mainly an off-spinner, he had such great skill in bowling the Dosra that even the top batters got trapped in his web.

In the later part of his career, he faced many difficulties when the ICC declared his bowling action illegal. After staying out of the team for a long time, when he returned, his ability to bowl the Dosra was gone. Still, he is remembered as one of the most talented Dosra Bowlers from Bangladesh.

Number Nine – Ravichandran Ashwin (India)

Including Ashwin’s name in this list might seem a bit early, but cricket experts believe that a time will come when no list will be complete without Ashwin. This is a truth we can see in his bowling. Whether it was using off-spin to trap batters or using the Dosra to get them out, Ashwin was ahead in everything. Because of such performances, he has been included in the list of the world’s top ten Dosra Bowlers.

Number Ten – Graeme Swann (England)

Friends, Swann is the only bowler on our list who comes from England. Every cricket lover knows about him. The way he bowled, even top batters would get caught in his trap. Swann was England’s dangerous magician. Though he didn’t use the dosra much, whenever he did, he made life difficult for even the most famous batters. That’s why many still remember him among unique Dosra Bowlers in the game.

Whether it was off-spin or the Dosra, Swann mastered both so well that even top-class batters couldn’t escape him. That’s why he earned his place among the elite Dosra Bowlers of the game.

FAQs

Q1. Who invented Doosra?
A.  In 2004, Saqlain Mushtaq, the developer of the doosra, said he had developed a new variant called the teesra, which is a backspinner disguised as an off spinner.

Q2. What is the salary of Sunil Narine in IPL?
A.   Sunil Narine’s salary for IPL 2025 is INR 12 crore, according to uccricket.live and SportsTiger.com.

Q3. What is Saeed Ajmal doing now?
A.    Former Pakistan spinner Saeed Ajmal works with Islamabad United as a spin coach in the PSL.Mar 13, 2025.

Q4. Was Murali a wrist spinner?
A.    Muralitharan is the first wrist-spinning off-spinner in the history of the game.

Q5. Is Ashwin intelligent?
A.   Ashwin is considered one of the most intelligent cricketers

Conclusion

In today’s article, we explored the top ten Dosra Bowlers in world cricket history. I hope this article has been informative and enjoyable for you. We started the list with Saqlain Mushtaq, who is widely regarded as the inventor of the Dosra. Following him, we covered legendary names like Saeed Ajmal, Muttiah Muralitharan, Harbhajan Singh, Ajantha Mendis, and Graeme Swann, each of whom mastered this mysterious delivery in their unique style.

From Pakistan, there were two bowlers; Sri Lanka also had two magical spinners. The list also featured one bowler each from India, England, Bangladesh, and the West Indies. Bowlers like Sohag Gazi, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Johan Botha brought their own flair to the art of Dosra bowling, often outsmarting even the world’s best batters.

Through their unforgettable spells and controversial careers, these ten bowlers have kept the magic of Dosra alive in the hearts of cricket fans.