Ravichandran Ashwin: The spinner who shattered status-quo

To bowl spin is to pause, reflect, tease and torment. It is much akin to making a move in chess, but in cricket with its adrenaline streaks, the big moments are often vested with batters and fast bowlers. A massive six or cartwheeling stumps makes a striking impact and lends an impetus to commentators to raise their voice and heighten the hype. But there is beauty in spin too, a seductive one that strangles batters.

It is in this realm that Ravichandran Ashwin, ever the contrarian and one who is forever questioning the status-quo, made a mark as a great off-spinner. While his deliveries seemingly hung in the air for eternity and drew perplexed batters to their doom, time did fly and twilight wrapped his storied career. After 537 Test wickets, a statistic that places him currently seventh in the all-time list, besides 3,503 runs and an ODI yield of 156 scalps, the 38-year-old called time on his international career.

He made a quick announcement to the media at Brisbane’s Gabba on Wednesday. “I didn’t want to make this about myself,” was his preamble before he said: “Today will be the last day for me as an international cricketer.” Vacating the stage when he still had the spark would not have been easy but ageing limbs and a few young spinners snapping at his heels may have pushed him towards the exit door. Additionally, he was not an instant selection overseas when the team-management went for the extra seamer and preferred a lone spinner.

But like M.S. Dhoni, Ashwin is hoping to be a regular in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and fans will get to see him in action for a while, even if it will be in the yellow jersey of Chennai Super Kings, and not in Indian whites or the blue shade. When Ashwin emerged through the ranks, fine-tuning his craft in the tough TNCA league while also coping with excess analysis from a knowledgeable Tamil Nadu cricketing fraternity, India still had Harbhajan Singh doing his bit in the slow art. Ashwin, however, caught the eye through the IPL. Soon, he was part of the Indian ODI squad and was a member of Dhoni’s team, which claimed the 2011 World Cup at home.

Origin story

The origin story would not have been easy. For a State that is high on cricket, Tamil Nadu doesn’t have as many Ranji Trophy titles as neighbouring Karnataka or more pedigreed players turning out for the national unit. If a historical ambiguity in making the final decisive step could be a bane, another hurdle was the constant desire to compare across eras.

At one point, the regular cliche about Indian cricketers was that they either could be wristy batters or beguiling spinners. When Ashwin surfaced at the highest level, he was stepping into a series of massive shoes. There was the famous spin-quartet of Bishan Singh Bedi. B.S. Chandrasekhar, Erapalli Prasanna and S. Venkataraghavan, the last named also hailing from Chennai, Ashwin’s home-town. And then there were his immediate predecessors: Anil Kumble and Harbhajan.

These were legends with stirring achievements adorning their resumes. Comparisons were bound to occur and during a 2011 tour of England, a correspondent asked Ashwin if he felt he was ready to replace Harbhajan, who was in the concluding phase of his career. On that distant cold day at the Old Blighty, Ashwin handled a potential landmine with deft hands, doused the fires, mentioned that he was just beginning but had confidence in his skills and also reiterated his respect for Harbhajan.

It was just a matter of time before Ashwin became India’s number one spinner. The signs of his talent and resilience was evident in the IPL when he would gladly bowl the opening over to the likes of Chris Gayle. This was a player who refused to take a step back. Most cricketers make a splash in their debut year before losing their way as rival teams discover vulnerabilities and keep twisting their knives into these raw spots.

Ashwin, though, was made of steel. He constantly reinvented himself, adding new deliveries and also gifted a cult status to the sodukku ball from Chennai’s streets. Rechristened the carrom ball which involved the last-minute flick of the fingers at the time of release, the ace spinner befuddled his rivals. At one point he was accused of doing too many experiments while not using his stock off-break often; he took this criticism on the chin and strove for balance.

A restless and eager presence in Indian team nets, Ashwin was never averse to experiment. You could catch him bowling some leg-spin and all this came in handy when he mimicked the bowling action of others at times. Climbing through Chennai’s club cricket with its undercurrent of corporate rivalries, Ashwin leant on the skills he had and the new ones he acquired. It was a philosophy that held him in good stead, be it playing in his school — St. Bede’s, or as a boy in the bylanes of Mambalam.

During his more than a decade-long stint with the national team, only twice did India falter at home, once against the visiting Englishmen in 2012 and more recently against New Zealand. Else, India remained a fortress and one primary reason for this was the genius of Ashwin. Even on spin-friendly surfaces, control and guile are important and he had these in ample measure.

With his engineering background, it was no surprise that Ashwin was deeply analytical. He knew the rules of the game and if a non-striker stepped out prematurely, Ashwin had no qualms in whipping off the bails. Even as the world lapsed into the ‘spirit of the game’ debate, the spinner was clear in his mind: if it is a legitimate dismissal then why are we even discussing this?

Ashwin the spinner always overpowered Ashwin the batter in terms of the perception sweepstakes. But he was a fine batter and at times had the languid charms of a V.V.S. Laxman, and six Test hundreds is a testimony to his ability. Having started as an opener before turning to spin, that old talent remained intact within his tall frame.

Always curious, it seemed organic for Ashwin to step into the YouTube space. His videos ranging from cricket to movies, have struck a chord. One of cricket’s greats is bound to have a second wind, be it as a commentator or coach. “To strive to be the best I can,” has always been Ashwin’s motto, and the coming years might reflect that all over again.