ASHWIN’S ALL-ROUND GENIUS INDIA’S KEY FOR SUCCESS IN THE ODI WORLD CUP!

'A champion is one who is remembered. A legend is one who is never forgotten.’ These wise words by Canadian author-philosopher Matshona Dhliwayo hold true for Ravichandran Ashwin who is rapidly emerging as one of the alltime cricketing greats. Few cricketers are as aware and intelligent as the wily Ashwin when it comes to the art of spin bowling.

His genius helped India trounce the Windies in the first Test last week as he picked up 12 scalps in the match. With his eighth 10-wicket match haul, Ashwin is close to the mammoth 500 Test wickets, being just 14 short of the target. As India plays its 100th test against the Windies and second of the series, given Ashwin’s form and the quality of the opposition, it will be no surprise if the veteran offie gets to the landmark in this game itself, thus making him just the 8th bowler to do so!

Currently the world’s number 1 bowler in Test rankings, Ashwin has had a great year till now. But omission from the team of the World Test Championship final built a narrative that he is good only in Indian conditions with spin friendly tracks. India lost the WTC final but on either side of that match, Ashwin picked up 7 wickets on a dull Ahmedabad wicket against Australia and 12 wickets against the Windies. It spurs a debate that while the world regards Ashwin highly, his own selectors doubt his prowess to take wickets in all conditions!

A peek into his recent records can allay all these fears. Ashwin holds the best average of all spinners in SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia) countries since 2018. Even in the 2021 WTC final against New Zealand, he picked up 4 wickets in seam-friendly conditions in England. His ability to read the batsmen and adjust his wares accordingly has meant that he is a fine bowler in the shorter formats of the game too. With 151 and 72 wickets in ODIs and T20S respectively, his numbers definitely suggest that Ashwin should be a regular for Team India in all conditions!

It also raises the question as to why is Aswin not being considered in the shorter formats? In fact, experts believe that Ashwin still has a key role to play and ought to be selected in the ODI World Cup team later this year. The championship is going to be played in India and as Ashwin was also a part of the 2011 Winning team, India can derive a lot from his experience of playing a high-pressure tournament as it may just be the ace that the Indian ODI setup is currently missing.

While some may argue about his not being the most agile in the field and has led to him being dropped from the one-day side, the fact is he is definitely a safe fielder! But more importantly, he is a very good batsman. His cool and calm mindset in the T20 World Cup match against Pakistan last year, where he hit the winning runs of the last ball, helped India to a famous win. Later even the star of the match, Virat Kohli, appreciated the boundary scored by Ashwin and his composure to leave the bowl down the leg-side for a wide before that.

In recent times, India’s ODI squad has lacked depth in its batting. Ashwin can fulfil the role of a number 8 batter and alongside his spin expertise, he can be a strong addition. His genius tends to be undermined and there are very few bowlers who can outthink a batsman. In his own words Ashwin says, “I’m thinking constantly like a batter when I’m bowling.” His last ODI was in the 2021 series against South Africa but since then it has been a curious case wherein he was picked for the T20 World Cup last year but not for ODI cricket!

He is arguably the bestoff spinner India has ever seen and possibly the best spinner after Anil Kumble for India. Ashwin’s bowling average is just a bit over 23 which is far better compared to Kumble who averages close to 30. Going by current rate, if Ashwin manages to play as many Test matches as Kumble, then he might just become the number one wicket taker of all time for India! Obviously, such a storehouse of talent deserves much better treatment than what has been meted out to him by the selectors. And one hopes wisdom will prevail and his all-round excellence will be respected to help India’s triumph at the ODI World Cup.

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL

Siddhaarth Mahan The writer is a specialist on Sports and Cinema who works as an actor in the Hindi film industry