  We identify the gauge theory dual of a spinning string of minimal energy with
spins S_1, S_2 on AdS_5 and charge J on S^5. For this purpose we focus on a
certain set of local operators with two different types of covariant
derivatives acting on complex scalar fields. We analyse the corresponding
nested Bethe equations for the ground states in the limit of large spins. The
auxiliary Bethe roots form certain string configurations in the complex plane,
which enable us to derive integral equations for the leading and sub-leading
contribution to the anomalous dimension. The results can be expressed through
the observables of the sl(2) sub-sector, i.e. the cusp anomaly f(g) and the
virtual scaling function B_L(g), rendering the strong-coupling analysis
straightforward. Furthermore, we also study a particular sub-class of these
operators specialising to a scaling limit with finite values of the second spin
at weak and strong coupling.
