Ravichandran Ashwin has become the fastest Indian and second fastest ever to reach 200 Test wickets. He’s also won more Man of the Series awards than any other Indian cricketer and not to forget that his career is only 37 Tests old.
Just to put things into perspective, some of the greats that played for India played over 50 Test series in their careers. Ashwin’s career.
FOLLOWING IN KUMBLE’S FOOTSTEPS
You give a flat track to a really good batsman; he might guarantee you a century. If you offered a moist green top to a quality seamer, he would give you a five-wicket haul. But if you offered a pitch to Kumble’s liking, he would win you the Test match.
That’s the legacy India’s most successful bowler has left behind. In most cases, it’s impossible to find someone who could maintain the lofty standards set by Kumble but Indian cricket is fortunate that the baton has been passed on almost seamlessly.
Ashwin is doing what Kumble used to do in his heyday. The effectiveness of Ashwin in Indian conditions isn’t something to be scoffed at but appreciated. While everyone prospers in home conditions, there are few who dominate the way Ashwin does.
Well done @ashwinravi99 on a fantastic achievement! Keep it going! @BCCI https://t.co/MSwLlZSqTS
— Anil Kumble (@anilkumble1074) September 25, 2016
TRADITIONAL IN STYLE, MODERN IN THOUGHTS
He’s got the flight, the drift in the air and the ball dips just before landing. If that’s not enough to catch his prey, he also gets the ball to turn appreciably off the surface along with the extra bounce thanks to his height and high-arm action.
His bowling style is a throwback to that of years gone by. While it’s traditional, he’s extremely modern in his thought process.
When asked about the ideal pace to bowl on slow-low Indian pitches, his eloquence showed the glimpse of the mind behind the man.
He said that even though it’s important to bowl quicker, it could be a futile exercise unless you know what’s your own optimum speed. The moment you went over that threshold, you’d compromise on accuracy.
Now, it’s not something you’d hear the spinner from yesteryears talk about. Modern day cricketers have the tools to know what brings out their optimum performance and Ashwin is using it to his advantage.
Man of the moment @ashwinravi99 all smiles after claiming his 200th in the #500thTest @Paytm Test Cricket pic.twitter.com/THqpoGmQqi
— BCCI (@BCCI) September 25, 2016
CONSTANT IMPROVEMENT
The moment you accept that there’s a need to improve, you start improving. Ashwin’s career is a good example of how he’s not only keen to receive feedback but also works towards addressing the concerns.
A few years ago he’d use too many variations too often and that led to a fair amount of criticism about his lack of consistency, and even cost him his place in the side.
Whenever India wanted to play one spinner overseas, it was a toss up between him and Jadeja, with the latter getting preference most often. Ashwin went back to the drawing board and worked on getting things right.
He started focusing a lot more on his stock ball and also, started bowling an outside-off line, which in turn fetched him more wickets. But the evolution of a player is an ongoing process and it was evident in this, the first Test against New Zealand, too.
Ashwin looked off-colour on the second day of the Test match but came back a different bowler on the third day because he used the break to assess where things went wrong.
India’s playing as many as 12 more Test matches in the next 6 months and if they are to win most of them, they’ll need Ashwin to remain on top of his game throughout.
For a team that’s studded with some exciting talent in the batting department, Ashwin is undoubtedly the Most Valuable Player of this generation.
Second fastest to reach 200 Test wickets - Congratulations @ashwinravi99 #500thTest @Paytm Test Cricket #IndvNZ pic.twitter.com/QFPzXO4f95
— BCCI (@BCCI) September 25, 2016
