Ian Chappell calls Ravichandran Ashwin a nightmare for Australia

Former Australian skipper Ian Chappell believes Ravichandran Ashwin could well prove to be a nightmare for Australia. The Aussies are scheduled to tour India next year in February. Chappell believes Ashwin will be the main man for India in the series. He rightly cites the recent success of the off-spinner to factuate his assumptions. In his column for the ESPNcricinfo, Chappell wrote how the spinners have wreaked havoc against Australia in the past.

He began by quoting how helpless Ravichandran Ashwin made the Kiwi batting look in the Indore Test. Ashwin had bagged 13 wickets in the recently concluded Test at Indore and registered his best match figures. He feels that what used to be an Australian problem has now spread across the trans-Tasman lines. He could see the New Zealand batsmen struggles against the spin bowling much like the Australians suffer.

“The demolition job that R Ashwin did on New Zealand during the third Test, in Indore, shows that the Australian distaste for offspin bowling has now spread to become an Antipodean curse,” wrote the former Australian cricketer. Chappell hasn’t quite forgotten how Rangana Herath almost singlehandedly inflicted a 3-0 whitewash on Australia recently.

“In a few months’ time he (Ashwin) will face an Australian line-up traumatised by the portly left-arm Sri Lankan fingerspinner Rangana Herath,” quotes Ian Chappell. His performances against the Kiwis are a precursor to what he can potentially inflict on Australia. “Ashwin’s 27 wickets at 17.77 and Man-of-the-Series award against New Zealand could be viewed as a prelude to the main performance,” he added.

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Citing the historical background, Chappell remembers how Ravi Ashwin emerged as a better player after the tour down under. He tried a lot of variations when India toured Australia and they backfired. Since then, he has become more mature as a bowler.

“Ashwin has already caused Australia huge problems in India – not quite as devastating as his Indore performance, but troublesome nevertheless. Coincidentally, it was in Australia that Ashwin learned a very good lesson about bowling,” said Chappell.

Ian feels that the bowler has the ability to send chills through the Australian team. Ashwin has already had his share of success against the Aussies. “Ashwin has already inflicted much pain on Australia, as did Laker, Prasanna and Harbhajan before him. Ashwin’s dominant performance in the series against New Zealand will send chills through Steven Smith’s squad,” reckons Chappell.

Speaking on his spin bowling partner Ravindra Jadeja, Ian Chappell opined that Jadeja will take some cues from Herath’s success in the past. The duo of Ashwin and Jadeja could replicate the heroics of Jim Laker and Tony Lock back in 1950s.

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“Ashwin’s spin bowling partner, left-armer Ravindra Jadeja, will be buoyed by Herath’s success. Not only does this not augur well for Australia’s batsmen, with their distaste for spin bowling, it will also revive memories of 1956 and the destruction caused by Laker and his partner – the left-arm orthodox spinner Tony Lock,” wrote the Australian player.