Every big story has a small beginning. Harmer’s began in Kandivali, a Mumbai suburb, with a coach named Umesh Patwal. They first met in 2012 at some camp. Nothing major. But Harmer remembered. After his first India tour broke him in 2015, he went back to Patwal in 2016. He was desperate.
As Patwal told Wisden.com, his advice to Harmer was simple and straightforward. Too basic. “Relax your hand. Hold the ball light.” That’s it. But that simple thing changed everything. More turn, more control. Patwal also told him to stop going on his toes like coaches always say. “Stay on your whole foot,” he insisted. And use your thumb more. Not just two fingers. These were small things. But they made a huge difference.
Harmer worked with Patwal every year after that. In Mumbai, then in Abu Dhabi for Essex pre-season. Harmer paid for everything. Seven-star hotel, flights, visa. He even got Patwal his own net separate from the Essex team. That’s how much he valued this partnership.
2015: When India Broke Him
Harmer’s first India tour was supposed to be his big break. He got his Test cap earlier that year against West Indies.
Then came India. Four Tests, he played two. Ten wickets at 25. Not terrible, right? Wrong. Ashwin took 31 at 11. Jadeja took 23 at 10. Everyone did better. The pitches were turning square from day one. Harmer later told reporters he put too much pressure on himself. He thought he had to match Ashwin. He had the skill but not the brains for it yet. India broke him that year.
England Years: The Kolpak Betrayal
While Harmer rebuilt his bowling in Mumbai, South Africa forgot him. The national coach said domestic cricket wasn’t good enough. Harmer got dropped straight from Tests to franchise cricket. At 27, he made a choice no player wants to make. He signed a Kolpak deal with Essex.
It wasn’t what he wanted. But he had to think about his future. About family. He wasn’t even making South Africa A teams. So he left.
First season at Essex: 72 wickets at 19. They won the Championship. 2019: 83 wickets at 18. He became England’s best red-ball spinner.
He even tried to become English. Brexit said no. ECB head Alan Fordham gave him a clear no. That door shut. Harmer thought his international dream was dead.
Comeback Nobody Expected
Harmer started asking himself questions. Can I bowl at the MCG? Am I good enough for India? I failed once. Can I handle the pressure? These thoughts haunted him in 2020. He admitted in a 2020 conversation with ESPNcricinfo.
Then 2022 happened. South Africa picked him for New Zealand tour. He played against Bangladesh, took 13 wickets. Got dropped again after West Indies. Back to county cricket. Same old story.
But Harmer never waits for things to happen. He called coach Shukri Conrad directly. Told him he was desperate to play again. Conrad later told the press he was even more desperate to have him. That’s how Harmer came back for the 2025 subcontinent tour. Not as backup. As the main spinner.
Pakistan: The Warm-Up Act
Before India, there was Pakistan. Second Test at Rawalpindi. Harmer started day four with 996 first-class wickets. Babar and Rizwan were batting. Harmer remembered bowling to Babar at Somerset in 2019. He knew around the wicket troubled him.
He got his first Test five-for. Crossed 1000 wickets. Then he came to India. Older, calmer, smarter. Ready this time.
Kolkata: The Moment Everything Clicked
Ten years of wandering. Ten years of doubt. All of it ended at Eden Gardens. Harmer took eight wickets in that match. But it was his spell to Pant that summed it up. Just ten balls. But in those ten balls, you saw everything. The change of pace. The drift. The thumb working magic. Pant was clueless.
Harmer told the press after the match that he wasn’t the same bowler from 2015. He wasn’t learning anymore. He was teaching now. The years in Chelmsford gave him the overs in his legs. Patwal gave him the clarity in his head. The years out of the team gave him the hunger in his belly.
Patwal told a cricket website that Harmer’s hunger made him better than others. Keshav Maharaj is good. Indian spinners are great. But Harmer wanted it more. That’s what made the difference.
Numbers Don’t Lie
Four Tests in India. Twenty-seven wickets. Average 15.03. Strike rate 36. The best ever for any bowler with 20-plus wickets in India. Better than anyone. More wickets than any South African bowler ever took in India.
This series alone: 17 wickets at 8.94. The best by any spinner in an away series since 1960.
South Africa won the series 2-0. Their first series win in India in 25 years. Harmer took the most wickets. Broke the most records. Won the most hearts.
The Answer He Needed
The last time Harmer toured India, he was a student in a masterclass he didn’t understand. This time, he came back as the teacher. Ten years of taking detours. Ten years of fighting doubt. And finally, the question he always asked himself got answered.
Can I succeed in India?
Look at the scorecards. Look at the faces of Indian batters. Look at South Africa lifting that trophy.
There’s your answer.
