Bowling leg spin had to do with skill development: Ravi Ashwin

The four-match Border-Gavaskar trophy is just four days away and everyone is feeling the heat already. Amidst all the news about the series, Steven Smith claimed some things about his IPL teammate Ravi Ashwin. After the last year’s IPL, talking to Cricbuzz the Australian skipper said that Ashwin purposely did not give away much while bowling to him in the nets.

He praised him along the way but accused the Indian of not sharing his spin secrets with the Aussie. Smith also stated that Ashwin bowled a lot of leg spinners to him in the nets. “He is obviously a quality bowler and has done well for a long period of time. It’s a little different facing (Ashwin) in the nets. He bowled a lot of leg-spinners. Maybe, he was trying to not give too much away with his off-spinners,” Smith was quoted saying by Cricbuzz after last year’s IPL.

Ashwin was then asked about the statements made by the 27-year-old Aussie. The India spin head obviously denied the claims and said it was a part of skill development. Ashwin tried a leg spinner against the Bangladeshis in the recent one-off Test in Hyderabad, “Not really. That was not the intent, I’m definitely more phased out in the way I practice during the IPL. Bowling leg spin had to do with skill development.” said Ashwin to New Indian Express.

He also went on to say that, “How much ever you study or practice against someone (doesn’t matter compared to how you play), it boils down to the fact that you have to come out to the middle and replicate everything. I don’t want to read much into it,”

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The No.1 Test team, India will play the first Test of four-match series from 23rd of February at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune.