India off-spinner Ravi Ashwin is no longer the first choice slow bowler in limited overs cricket. Leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal and left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav have overtaken the premier Test spinner in white ball cricket. With wrist spin the preferred choice not only for Virat Kohli but limited overs captains across the globe, finger spinners are finding themselves restricted to the five-day format.
However, Ashwin seems to have found a way out of his predicament – by abandoning off-spin and embracing leg-spin wholeheartedly in white ball cricket. One of the finest off-spinners produced by India has started to bowl proper leg spin in domestic cricket after trying it out during training for a couple of seasons. And it’s not just one variation; it’s the whole shebang.
Ashwin tried out his leg spin variations during a domestic one-day match while playing for his state Tamil Nadu against Gujarat. He finished with 2-38 from 9.1 overs as his team won by 76 runs. After the match, Ashwin said he will bowl leg-spin in the IPL as well.
“This is part of my plan going into the IPL,” Ashwin said.
“I am just trying to build my armoury. I used to bowl good leg-breaks with my off-spin action when I was playing league cricket in Chennai. Over a period of time, in a search to get my stock ball right, I obviously had to cut out a lot of those things. I had possessed a lot more variations. Having bowled off-break as the stock ball for almost 10 years, trying to change things around is challenging.
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“As of now everything is cooked by me. I try to take feedback from our coaches in my academy. First time I was bowling leg spin, we were working on some actions on how to gain momentum. How I can make a repeatable action work for me. For example, my arm doesn’t go 45 degrees which is perfect for a leg-spinner. I am more upright. I have to adjust my action. It has been a painful ride. One day it will come out well in the nets, and the next day it won’t come out all right. It will be frustrating.”
If Ashwin does master the art of leg-spin, he might just make his way back into a blue jersey. Off-spinners of the world, are you listening?
