Ravichandran Ashwin– Redefining off-spin bowling

India’s leading wicket-taker in the recently concluded Test series, Ravichandran Ashwin, has been in a phenomenal form. Not just with the ball, but he has been impactful with the bat too. Recently, Ashwin revealed that he usually needs time to settle in. He also said that it is not easy to find rhythm straightaway. The way Ashwin reads the opposition is commendable.

He dismissed the main man from the opposition, Kane Williamson, 4 times in the series. Ashwin has always made it look very easy in the middle. Time and again, the man from Tamil Nadu has come up with variations. In a world where off-spin bowling is considered to be a dying art, he has reiterated the opposite. They say off-spin bowling is easy, Ashwin shows how to master it.

This has not been the first instance when the offie has made a batsman his bunny. He has earlier shown some special liking to South African batsman AB de Villiers. When the Proteas toured India last year, Ashwin emerged as the leading wicket-taker with 31 wickets with 4 five-wicket hauls. He got the better of AB on 2 occasions in the Test series. Prior to that, he had dismissed AB twice in the T20 series.

Ashwin has always spoken about the importance of rhythm to understand the batsmen. “It’s very important for me to get into a good rhythm,” he had quoted. He also remarked that he hasn’t always started off well. He admitted that he takes a few overs to get the alignment right.

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“It’s about getting into a good rhythm and being able to accelerate and get through the crease fast. So that’s what I really look forward to and once I get into a good rhythm, I think I can beat any batsman in the world. That is where I stand right now,” R Ashwin had earlier said.

Going down the memory lane, he has always found success against the left-handed batsmen. He made a mockery of the South African batting line-up when the Proteas toured last year. A few months prior to that, he had the best left-handed batsman bowing down to his spin wizardry. Kumar Sangakkara was the man who faced the heat from Ashwin when India toured Sri Lanka last year.

It was the newly appointed skipper Virat Kohli’s maiden assignment as full time Test skipper. India won the series 2-1 and it was R Ashwin, who stood tall on the tour. He was the leading wicket-taker with 21 wickets to his name in 3 matches. In the four innings that Sangakkara played, he was outplayed by Ashwin. The off-spinner perhaps gave the most unwanted send off to Sangakkara by dismissing him on all 4 occasions in the first 2 Tests.

The nightmare named Ravichandran Ashwin recurred for the visiting New Zealand side in every match. A 10-wicket haul in the first match was the precursor of the things to come. He bagged 6/81 in the first innings of the 3rd Test. His efforts saw India bundle out New Zealand on 299. In the second innings, he went a tad ahead and came up with career best figures innings figures of 7/59 and match figures of 13/140 to finish the series with 27 wickets. Ashwin proudly says he has the self belief that he can beat any batsman in the world on a given day.

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Most recently, he cited the example of Kane Williamson to illustrate how he goes about studying the opposition. “I come into a series with a plan, especially taking off from where Kane Williamson got out in Bangalore when they came here last year. He lunged forward and got out at slips. So that is one of the things I thought I would repeat in this series,” he pointed.

Ashwin did exactly what he thought he would repeat. Very rarely do we see someone accomplish what they say they would. Ashwin’s bowling has been as crisp as his media interactions. A witty man of all sorts, Ashwin never beats around the bush, but is instead straight down to the task. A thing assured for Indian cricket though, R Ashwin is here to stay and as most experts have already tipped – he is here to rule.

For a man who is just 39 matches old, it is a staggering feat to be awarded the Man of the Series 6 times. Ashwin has been one such revelation. He was the second quickest to 200 wickets in Test cricket when he achieved the feat in the Kanpur Test. With England, Australia and Bangladesh lined up for Tests in India, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him race past 300 wickets in this calendar year. He already has 21 five-wicket hauls to his name.

What works for Ashwin is the fact that he can extract purchase on a dead rubber too. On the contrary, the players like Ravindra Jadeja often depend for a bit of assistance from the surface. Ashwin doesn’t need the pace from the pitch to aid his tweakers. He has emerged as a colossus at home conditions with staggering 153 wickets to his name in 22 Tests. But to be ranked among the best, he needs to outnumber and modify his records outside the subcontinent.

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With a heavy home season coming upfront, expect Ashwin to make the ball talk on most occasions. He is to bowling what Virat Kohli is to the Indian batting at the moment. Ravichandran Ashwin is a legend in the making and off-spin bowling is no longer just about the classical off-breaks. Ashwin is redefining the art in his own way.