SPORT Kumble knows our psyche, says Ashwin

OUR PSYCHE: ASHWIN

St Kitts, July 14: India offspinner R. Ashwin feels head coach Anil Kumble is someone who understands bowling psyche and can provide the right impetus to the bowlers during match situations.

“Understanding a bowler’s psyche is a challenge and it is difficult for a batter to understand that. Someone like him he understands how the situation is and conditions are, he might give you the right impetus that you need,” Ashwin told bcci. tv. “For example, if you are going well but wickets haven’t fallen, he might be that one hand around your shoulder saying this is exactly what we want you to keep doing.”

The 29- year- old from Tamil Nadu, who has grown up watching Kumble said he was happy to find the iconic cricketer just as he had imagined over the years.

“There is a saying that whenever you come too close to a celebrity, you get disappointed but with respect to Anil bhai whatever I have measured of him from a distance have come true,” he said.

“He is the same man, same discipline, same intensity, it has been wonderful. He brought a lot of energy and meticulousness among the group. You know there is a lot of planning when he is around.

“These are the things which I had expected from him and this is exactly what he has done.”

Ashwin said that Kumble has given him the freedom to express himself and he is looking to take a cue out of the legend’s bowling.

“So far he has provided me with a lot of confidence and responsibility. It has been more of giving me the license to express myself which I really relish but both of us need time to start knowing each other,” he said.

“It has been 10- 12 days since Bangalore camp. He had an open chat and he has already told me what he is going to look forward from me and I have told him what I look forward to him teaching me. He has already started bowling at the nets and I can pick out some notes from it.

Ashwin said that his team will look to come hard at the West Indies batsmen in the first innings and knock them over early during the four-Test series starting at Antigua on July 21.

“From the way the opposition played in the last match, it gave me the picture that they are pretty much used to the conditions. For example they opened with Rajendra Chandrika, the way he batted it gave me a glimpse at how they might be going about it.”

“Over the last year or two they have played really well in the first innings, so that is going to be a challenge for us to try and really be boring and really come hard at them in the first innings and knock them over early and be as disciplined as possible. The first innings is going to be very important to follow into the Test

match.”

‘ Patience is the key’ It is getting slower but it won’t be easy by any stretch of imagination, so we are prepared for long haul. Until then it is all about patience. Other day we saw Mishy bowling 15- 16 overs and once he got a breakthrough he started breaking throughs at regular intervals. For the first couple of days in a Test match there won’t be much for the spinners, there could be bounce which we can exploit. So it will be boring lines which needs to be bowled.