CRICKET | Leg-spinner Jhathavedh’s apprenticeship with Ashwin has worked wonders

Jhathavedh Subramanyan has been putting in the overs. Lots of them.

Since he began working with R. Ashwin around August last year, the Vida Kovai Kings leg-spinner has been bowling “20 to 25 overs” in a session, experimenting with his action and trying to make his leg-break a bigger weapon.

“I was doing a bit more volume. The thing about doing volume is that the more repetitions you do, the more avenue there is for experimentation,” he said at the TNPL here on Tuesday.

The 26-year-old has made a noticeable change to his load-up, gathering the ball closer to his body.

“That’s helped me rip the leg-break a little bit more without hampering the amount of turn for my googly. And it’s helped me get the ball more over the stumps,” he said.

Jhathavedh Subramanyan of Kovai Kings in action at a TNPL match held at Natham.
| Photo Credit:
G. KARTHIKEYAN

The change is significant for a bowler whose googly had previously been his bigger turning delivery. He regarded his dismissal of the marauding N.S. Chaturved against Madurai Panthers as the best example. He outfoxed TNPL’s fastest centurion with a leg-break that the batter charged down to be stumped.

“It was a leg-break that turned almost five degrees. In previous seasons, I was turning my googly a lot,” he said.

For Jhathavedh, working with Ashwin remains special.

“I was really enjoying those sessions. There’s a lot of fun and a lot of smiling, which is very important, because, of course, as we all know, he has a great sense of humour.

“As a kid growing up in Hong Kong (his country of birth, which he’s represented), it was an absolute dream to meet Ashwin in the first place, and now to have him as my coach is incredible,” he said.