Finding new ways to conquer
Bowling around the wicket has helped Ashwin wreck the South Africa batting order
NEW DELHI: Ravichandran Ashwin is on a roll. He has taken 24 wickets in three Tests against South Africa so far. With the final Test starting in Delhi on Thursday, nothing appears impossible for the man whose value to the team for home duels is comparable to that of Anil Kumble in the 1990s.
Ashwin has been almost unstoppable since he regained his spot in the side after some failures overseas. There is a new confidence and certainty about his art, and many are convinced of his maturity and the fact that he is on top of his game. If Ashwin takes 12 wickets like he did in the third Test in Nagpur, he will claim the Indian record for most wickets in a series — 35 by BS Chandrasekhar in the 197273 home series against England. BACK TO BASICS Many point out going back to the basics, sticking to off-spinners and cutting down on variations, had played a big role in his transformation. Additionally, he began bowling with a high-arm action, enabling him to deceive the batsmen in flight. Another reason could be his switch to bowling from around the wicket more often.
When Ashwin joined India, Harbhajan Singh was the main spinner. The bowler who is the bridge between Kumble and Ashwin, also bowled around the stumps later in his career.
Harbhajan explains why offspinners prefer to bowl around the stumps these days.
“The delivery should end in the stumps. Usually, if an off-spinner bowls from over the stumps, his delivery finishes at the leg stump. If the batsman goes on the back foot and gets it on his pads, then only there is a chance that you will get him lbw.
“But from around the stumps, a bowler should make sure he spins the ball. The spin could be less but if he hits the pad, there are more chances of getting an lbw. If the ball pitches on off and hits the pad then also you are out. Basically, the batsman has to play every ball and he is aware anything that hits the pad can put him in trouble,” Harbhajan explained to HT.
By going around the stumps, a spinner can also stop feeding the batsman on the off-side. “You definitely block the sweep shot. If you try and sweep from middle, you are a candidate for lbw. The only way out is to pick the correct line. When you bowl over the wicket, you can easily be driven through cover or point, and the slog sweep is on. On the other hand, cover drive is possible to a round-the-wicket delivery only if it is pitched really full. Spin is necessary, otherwise he will keep scoring. I clearly remember Muttiah Muralitharan started this trend.” ANGLED RUN-UP Harbhajan, when he started for India in 1998, had a diagonal runup but it gradually got straighter. Ashwin too has a straight run-up. Many believe a diagonal run-up helps the bowler pivot on the front leg on delivery, ensuring sharp spin. Ashwin, when operating from over the wicket, doesn’t complete his action and hence all the more motivation to go around.
“You need more power to bowl from around. This means you are putting more force behind the ball and because you are bowling from an angle, the body rotates fully and the pivot is much better. I used to speak to Balwinder Sandhu (ex-India seamer and Mumbai coach) and would always go around when I felt my action was not getting completed. Throughout my career, I used to go around for five overs so that my body got used to it and I would then go back to bowling from over the wicket,” Harbhajan added.