Ashwin adds accuracy to variation

MUMBAI: The last time India played England at the Gujarat Cricket Association’s Stadium at Motera in 2012, R Ashwin was among the last Indian players to leave the nets on the first morning of the series. Surprisingly, he was trying his hand at leg-spin. He was a player constantly experimenting, adding to his box of variations.

It would come with a price though—inconsistency and a tendency to over-experiment. India lost that series to England 2-1, and it remains their last series defeat at home. In four Tests, Ashwin took 14 wickets at an average of 52.64, the fourth highest after Graeme Swann (20 wkts at 24.75), Pragyan Ojha (20) and Monty Panesar (17 at 26.82).

Nine years on, at the same location at Motera where the newly built world’s largest cricket stadium stands, India have taken an unassailable 2-1 lead against England in the fourTest series; Ashwin leads the list of wicket-takers with 24 scalps in three Tests at 15.7 and has entered the elite club of bowlers with 400 Test wickets.

What differentiates great bowlers from the pack is consistency. The likes of Kapil Dev, Wasim Akram and Richard Hadlee were relentless. Variations were there but never at the cost of accuracy. They developed a fine understanding of their game and strengths. As Ashwin joined these greats, it was this aspect of bowling which he became better at, said his early coach Sunil Subramaniam.

Ashwin always had the skill and variations. He has added consistency to it, through which he is now building relentless pressure. “I will call it sensible bowling and he has used the angles beautifully. The odd boundary ball he bowls where batsmen can go for the cut, even that was not there, and you could see the angles, the full repertoire was there (in this series),” said the former Tamil Nadu spinner Subramaniam, who has mentored Ashwin from his U-17 days and even helped him through his rough patches.

There was no surprise in the manner in which Ashwin dominated the England batsmen. His record at home is awe-inspiring (278 wickets out of 401). For him the most satisfying performance was his bowling in the last series in Australia when he gave a fine exhibition of his craft. It was a delight to see in the way he put pressure on the likes of Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne and plotted their dismissals.

What also stood out was the maturity with which Ashwin bowled during the fourth morning of the second Melbourne Test. With 14 overs for the new ball, Australia’s seventh-wicket pair was eyeing a counterattack. But Ashwin conceded just 11 runs in his seven overs. Starting at 166/6, Australia were never allowed to get away and were bowled out for 200.

It is said that finger spinners have limitations compared to wrist spinners, but Ashwin’s strike rate is exemplary. “I have always maintained he is not a conventional spinner. He is more a hand bowler. His fingers are so long but his wrists are very supple; he can play around with the ball as much as he wants. With his height, the fingers and the right amount of body weight transferred, he has shown he can be a great bowler,” said Subramaniam.

Another change Subramaniam noticed was how the lanky spinner was setting up the batsmen. The carom ball is no more his go-to ball. It is a set-up delivery now. “He is not using the carom ball as often. He is not showing it, otherwise when the wickets were not falling, the go-to ball used to be the carom ball. Now, he is setting the batsman up with the carom ball and then getting him out with the ball that goes straight.”

To Subramaniam, at 34 Ashwin is at the peak of his career like most spinners at this age.

R Ashwin