India off-spinner Ravi Ashwin finds leg-spin more effective

Ajit Vijaykumar 17:50 17/02/2018
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  • India off-spinner Ravi Ashwin says bowling leg-spin is already proving to be a lot more effective than his regular bowling style as he has started to get wickets even off ordinary deliveries.

    Ashwin, one of the finest off-spinners produced by India with 311 scalps from 57 Tests, has added another dimension to his bowling – leg spin – in an attempt to reinvent his game and regain his spot in the limited-overs side which is now occupied by wrist spinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav.

    He worked on the mysterious art for two seasons before becoming confident enough of trying it out in a competitive match. That was the Indian domestic 50-over competition Vijay Hazare Trophy earlier this month. He finished with nine wickets from five one-day games for his state side Tamil Nadu using variations of leg spin.

    “The one thing I have realised is I have got a wicket out of a full toss and short ball out of the nine wickets I got in Vijay Hazare (tournament). There is the advantage of bowling leg-break. I bowl a beauty of a leg-break and they get beaten and the next ball is a short ball and they get out,” Ashwin told Sport360 at the GenNext Kings’ Cricket Academy at Kings’ School Al Barsha.

    “I have a big leg-break, I have a googly and a flipper. I don’t think I need more. I am 100 per cent match ready with it. Execution might go wrong here or there. Even with my off break with 10, 11 years of international experience, I bowl the odd loose balls. It’s bound to happen. Leg-breaks are bound to produce loose balls.”

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  • What makes Ashwin confident about his leg-spin skills is the fact that he has picked up wickets in a 50-over tournament against Indian batsmen. Nine wickets across five matches has shown Ashwin he is on the right track.

    “It has been a very challenging ride. I am enjoying the fruits of what’s coming out. Playing in a premier one-day tournament (Vijay Hazare trophy) and delivering with the new skill gives me a lot of confidence. The Indian domestic batsmen are very good players of spin and I managed to get wickets against them so that’s a positive sign,” the 31-year-old added after a training sessions with budding cricketers in Dubai.

    While Ashwin the leg-spinner is doing just fine, there are some concerns over what a radically different action could do to his main trade – off-spin bowling in Test cricket – that he has fine-tuned over a decade. But Ashwin says it’s all flowing smoothly.

    “This is an attempt I have made. I went to South Africa and I just bowled just off break. It seemed just fine. I am assuming it will stay fine. These are improvements and innovations people need to make. The game throws the challenges, all you need to do is embrace it and try and see if you can match up to it. At least I know that when I hang my boots, I know I have made an attempt.”

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