R. Ashwin was the best bowler for India in the previous World Test Championship cycle (2021-23) with 61 wickets, 14 more than Ravindra Jadeja, the second-best, at a better average and strike rate too. However, the World No. 1 ranked Test bowler, who played a crucial role in Rohit Sharma’s men reaching the final, was not accommodated in the XI for the title clash against Australia citing ‘team combination’ as the reason.
Even after factoring in the variables unique to cricket — from pitch and overhead conditions to the make-up of the opponents — it is hard to imagine any other team sport where the best and in-form player is benched for the most crucial contest. His non-selection for the summit clash drew widespread criticism from former players and fans across the world as Team India succumbed to a heavy defeat, its second straight in WTC finals.
Frustrating
Nothing could be more frustrating for a player than being dropped, especially when operating at the highest level.
Ashwin opened up about his disappointment in not playing the match during a chat with The Hindu, having done the hard yards to get the side that far.
Yet, a month after that, as most great sportsmen do, Ashwin proved he was special as he let the ball do the talking once again. With the off-spinner at his magical best, India kick-started the third World Test Championship cycle with a humongous win over the West Indies in Dominica.
The 36-year-old was in the thick of things as he produced a match-winning spell of 12 for 131 to wrap things up in just three days.
Though he has often made things look easy on the field, Ashwin went on to explain after his five-for in the first innings how mentally draining it was to come out and perform at such a high level despite setbacks.
“There’s no human being or cricketer who has gone through the highs without the lows. It’s not a journey that’s very easy. But I’m very thankful for all the lows that have come my way because, without the lows, there are no highs in your life,” said Ashwin after the opening day’s play.
As much as it is a cliche to call cricket an individual sport played in a team setting, it is also the most accurate way to describe it.
Though there are teammates breathing down the neck of the batter and chatting away to disturb his concentration, the game is ultimately a battle between two men at either end of the 22-yard strip. And Ashwin, one of India’s fiercest competitors, relishes these one-on-one skirmishes as he attempts to dissect a batter’s technique ball after ball after ball and eventually dislodge him.
Assessing the conditions
Right from his first wicket on day one, Ashwin quickly assessed the conditions and systematically scythed through the West Indies’ line-up. Opener Tagenarine Chanderpaul was the first one to find out.
Ashwin seemed to set up the left-hander with a mixture of deliveries that angled in before he went wide of the crease and got one to drift in and turn away sharply to clip off-stump. From there on, the master took charge.
If watching Ashwin plan, plot and send a batter to his doom is one of the great joys of the game, the fact that he is also articulate in explaining the thought process as well as his craft makes him a compelling athlete to follow.
In a conversation with former West Indian cricketers Ian Bishop and Samuel Badree, the 36-year-old spoke eloquently about how he varied his action throughout the Test according to how the pitch evolved and how he finds chinks in a batter’s armour.
“I feel batters are an insecure lot. They want to be in their comfort zone. They like to play inside a zone. They practice in a certain fashion, trying to get in the same repeating modes.
“The moment you shift them away from that, they are thinking about ‘what is he (bowler) trying? How am I going to adapt?’ If you put a batter in a space where he needs to change in a game, I have rarely found a batter who makes those changes in between a game.
“I have got nothing to lose. So I change within a game, and if the batter is matching up, he has to catch up with that,” said Ashwin, clearly relishing the challenge of playing with a batter’s mind.
Passion for the game
In this era, every aspect of the sport is analysed threadbare by back-room staff through video footage and other metrics like speed, angles or release points. Yet, by speaking about it candidly, Ashwin comes through as a bowler who is not only at the top of his game, but also not insecure about discussing the tricks of the trade. It also brings to the fore his enormous hunger and passion for the game.
Immediately after the WTC ended, Ashwin took an early flight from London to Chennai and then reached Coimbatore the same evening to play in the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL). He even had a practice session under lights that night as Dindigul Dragons was getting ready for its opening fixture.
After figuring in four T20 games for Dragons, he switched modes seamlessly with the red cherry.
Like he has done throughout his career ever since he made his Test debut in 2011, the world’s premier off-spinner shattered records in the Dominica Test, showing that he belongs to the pantheon of greats.
With 34 five-wicket hauls in just 93 Tests, Ashwin is now just one behind Anil Kumble’s record of 35 — the highest by an Indian. His eighth 10-wicket haul also pulled him level with the former skipper and leg-spinner for the most by an Indian. With 486 scalps under his belt, he is within striking distance of reaching the magical figure of 500 Test wickets.
Going by his current form, it won’t be a wild bet to put money on him getting there as early as the second Test which begins on July 20 in Trinidad & Tobago.
