In cricket, a doosra is a specific style of delivery produced by an off-spin bowler. The doosra spins in the opposite direction of an off break (the off-default spinner's delivery) and attempts to misdirect the batsman into hitting an unavoidable shot. If the batsman does not take early action, he will be caught out. The spin axis of the ball is horizontal, so if you watch a leg-spinner you will often see him holding the ball above his head with both hands when releasing it toward the pitch of the ball. This gives the impression that the ball is spinning faster than it actually is. A slow-medium paced off-spinner will generally produce a doosra every other ball, while a fast-medium paced one will usually deliver one every third ball. To counter this type of bowling, batsmen need to play forward and try to hit out at anything close to midwicket or long on the ground. Leg-side shots are sometimes able to go through gaps created by the lack of spin on the ball, but this is not always the case. There have been many great doosras in cricket history, most notably by Anil Kumble. They can be difficult to pick up from wide of the crease because they don't turn much and can seem like balls of the hand rather than true spinning discs.