Ashwin appears to have figured out what works for him

March 01, 2015 10:09 pm | Updated November 16, 2021 05:15 pm IST - Perth:

India's R Ashwin 2nd left, celebrates with team mates Suresh Raina left, captain M S Dhoni center, and Rohit Sharma right, after taking the wicket of United Arab Emirates K. Karate during their Cricket World Cup Pool B match in Perth, Australia, Saturday, Feb 28, 2015. (AP Photo/Theron Kirkman)

India's R Ashwin 2nd left, celebrates with team mates Suresh Raina left, captain M S Dhoni center, and Rohit Sharma right, after taking the wicket of United Arab Emirates K. Karate during their Cricket World Cup Pool B match in Perth, Australia, Saturday, Feb 28, 2015. (AP Photo/Theron Kirkman)

Swapnil Patil did not know what got him. In theory he was facing an off-break bowler, but the ball he pushed at and eventually edged was no off-break. This was surprising seam-up stuff, a delivery that swung away from him and left him squinting in visible disbelief as ball struck bat.

A little later, his colleague Mohammad Naveed met with a similar fate, when, all wound up for a giant heave over the ropes, he received a quicker ball that pulled the rug from under his feet.

It may have only been the UAE, but Saturday night in Perth saw R. Ashwin at his lively best: varying his speeds, hitting uncomfortable lengths, and occasionally dipping into his bottomless bag of tricks.

It is easy to deride a bowler for experimenting, particularly when he's struggling, but Ashwin deserves credit for keeping faith in himself when the world queued up to tell him he was wrong.

At the WACA ground, the bounce — allied to his height and the breeze made him a handful. His four for 25, career-best figures in one-day internationals, became the third best performance by an Indian bowler at the venue after Ravi Shastri and Irfan Pathan.

“Ashwin bowled really well,” Dhoni said later. “According to the wicket, you have to change your bowling to some extent. You have to find the right length and the right trajectory to bowl, and I felt Ashwin did that really well. He used his faster one and was successful in getting a bit of swing on it too, and that was the reason he got a couple of wickets out of those particular deliveries. His line and length was superb, as also the pace at which he bowled.”

In India’s three matches at the World Cup, Ashwin has illustrated what a spinner can do, even in Australian conditions, where there is bounce but not a great deal of turn off the surface. He has had to work to make something happen in the air.

Against Pakistan, three of his first five overs were maidens: that spell, which included the wicket of Haris Sohail, was vital in ensuring that the run-chase never got off the ground. Sohail’s dismissal was a joy to behold, a dipping off-break that teased the batsman forward and slowly looped away from him as he reached out.

Skilful bowler

“He is a very skilful bowler, and he’s at his best when he wants to take wickets,” Kohli said afterwards. “He was on top of the batsmen the whole time. Those maidens were game-changers to be honest. He got only one wicket but the way he bowled was absolutely outstanding, especially when you take into consideration you have five fielders in the ring and their spinners could not contain us so much. The way he bowled on that wicket was pleasing to watch. He will be a key factor for us as long as he can be in the same mindset that he was in the first game.”

Against South Africa, he was brought on only in the 22nd over, by which time the opponent had been badly wounded, but he contributed three wickets nonetheless. It would appear that Ashwin has worked on his craft after the Australia Test series, which began with his omission in favour of Karn Sharma in Adelaide.

He hasn’t just bowled to contain and his variations have remained the exception rather than the norm. Not that there is anything wrong in trying but Ashwin appears to have figured out what works for him at this tournament.

He was feeling good, he told the BCCI website after the UAE performance. “It is my wrist position, the way the ball is coming out of my hand and how many revolutions I am getting on my deliveries,” he said.

“I am someone who always puts a lot of revolutions on the ball but at the same time it is also about how well I am finishing and how strong I am at the crease.

“There has been a lot of work that has gone into it and my trainer has been really helpful when it comes to trying to stabilise my core.”

That he took 91 one-day matches to record his maiden four-wicket haul does not paint him in a glowing light.

But all that matters now to India is the World Cup and Dhoni will be pleased he has Ashwin to call on.

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