A doosra in cricket is a surprise delivery bowled by an off-spinner that spins the opposite way to their normal off-break. To a right-handed batter it turns away toward the off side, even though the bowler uses an off-spin action, which is exactly what makes it so hard to read.
The word "doosra" means "the second one" or "the other one" in Urdu and Hindi. In simple terms, it is the off-spinner's secret ball that goes the wrong way.
How a Doosra Is Different from an Off-Break:
An off-spinner's stock ball is the off-break. To a right-handed batter, that ball turns in from the off side toward the leg side, into the pads and body.
The doosra does the opposite. It turns away from the right-hander, toward the off-side and the slips, just like a leg-break would.
Because the bowler's arm and body look the same for both balls, the batter often plays for the turn that never comes and gets an edge or is beaten.
Delivery | Which way it turns (to a right-hander) | Hand at release |
|---|---|---|
Off-break (stock ball) | Turns into the batter | Fingers and front of the hand |
Doosra | Turns away from the batter | Back of the hand faces the batter |
How Is a Doosra Bowled?
The doosra is bowled with the same grip and arm action as a normal off-break, so the batter cannot spot it early. The difference is in the wrist.
At the moment of release, the bowler turns the wrist, so the back of the hand faces the batter, and the ball rolls out over the back of the fingers. That reverse spin sends it the other way. It is one of the hardest deliveries in cricket to bowl well.
Doosra vs Googly:
The easiest way to understand the doosra is to compare it to the googly. Both are "wrong way" balls, but they belong to different types of spinner.
A googly is the leg-spinner's surprise ball, which turns into a right-hander instead of away. The doosra is the mirror image: it is the off-spinner's surprise ball, which turns away from a right-hander instead of in. Same idea, opposite bowler.
Why Is the Doosra Controversial?
The doosra is one of the most debated deliveries in the game because it is very hard to bowl legally. To make the ball spin the wrong way, many bowlers straighten the arm more than the 15 degrees the laws allow, which counts as throwing, or "chucking."
Several well-known doosra bowlers have been reported for a suspect action and made to remodel their bowling. For this reason, some coaches even warn against teaching the doosra to young off-spinners.
Who Invented the Doosra?
The doosra is widely credited to Pakistan's Saqlain Mushtaq - who developed and popularized it in the late 1990s and is said to have given it its name.
Since then, it has been used by some of the best off-spinners in the world, including Muttiah Muralitharan, Saeed Ajmal ,and Harbhajan Singh ,it remains one of spin bowling's most famous weapons.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q1: What is a teesra?
A: The teesra means "the third one." It is a follow-up variation that is made to look just like a doosra but slides straight on with little turn, catching out a batter who commits to playing for spin.
Q2: What is the difference between a doosra and a carrom ball?
A: Both are disguised deliveries, but they are released differently. A carrom ball is flicked out by snapping a bent middle finger and can be spun either way, which is not how a doosra is delivered.
Q3: How does a batter pick a doosra?
A: The best clue is the bowler's wrist and hand right at the point of release, plus how the ball behaves off the pitch. Batters try to play as late as they can, but even top players struggle to read it in time.
