'Surprised that he didn't bowl left-arm leg spin' - Former India wicketkeeper's cheeky take on R Ashwin's bowling variations

Former Indian wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel has labelled R Ashwin as the "best example of self-belief". Ashwin, who retired from all forms of international cricket in December 2024 after representing India in 287 matxhes, recently also hung his boots from the IPL.

Parthiv shed light on Ashwin's experimentative nature and praised how the latter kept learning and adapting new things despite all the experience behind his back.

"Ravichandran Ashwin was the best example of self-belief. As his career progressed, he tried new things and experimented a lot. He used the carrom ball very effectively. I still remember how he bowled Hashim Amla with the carrom ball at the 2016 T20 World Cup. He was an example of maximizing one's ability," stated Parthiv in a video on his YouTube channel.

Parthiv comically admitted that he was surprised that Ashwin did not try bowling left-arm spin, considering the number of variations he used to bowl.

"The way he tried to explore in different ways is something to learn from Ravichandran Ashwin. With the amount of time I've spent with him, I've seen him bowl off spin, leg spin, carrom ball, and everything, but I'm surprised that he didn't bowl left-arm leg spin. I thought he might as well try that too, at some point," he added.  

Ashwin has been linked to The Hundred and the Big Bash League of late. Notably, the off-spinner mentioned in his retirement post that he will explore other franchise leagues.

Speaking of his numbers in the IPL, Ashwin played 221 matches across five franchises, picking 187 wickets at a commendable economy rate of 7.20. He represented Chennai Super Kings in eight out of the total 16 IPL seasons he played. Ashwin was instrumental in CSK's title successes and was a key member to their squad.