R. Ashwin - The new all-rounder for Team India ??

We all know that R.Ashwin is a very good bowler who has a lot of variations in his armoury to deceive the batsmen and pick wickets. He has been crucial to the Indian team and the Chennai Super Kings for the last 2 odd years. His emergence has put a good spinner like Bhajji out of the contest for a while, and he has taken up the mantle and been quite a success in all the formats.

Ashwin’s strengths have always been his height, and his ability to extract bounce in Indian conditions which is partly due to his height, the sharp spin and the many variations that he possesses. Dhoni, who captains him in both IPL and in the Indian team has always known what’s best for Ashwin and has handled him quite well. Ashwin is a bowler who loves challenges and he has never backed down to bowl in a pressure situation. More than being a economic bowler, Ashwin is an attacking bowler who loves to flight the ball and pick wickets. He has always backed himself to bowl to his strengths and that has been his secret for success through the years.

Born in Chennai, Ashwin has a legacy of spin bowlers to contend with and has truly been a revelation since the third season of the IPL, when Ashwin and another Chennai lad, Vijay joined together to take the team to the finals and win the cup. Ashwin was one of the leading wicket takers for CSK and was preferred over the likes of Murali. His most crucial moment was against Chris Gayle in a match against the Knight Riders team. Ashwin came into bowl early, since Gayle was threatening to cut loose. He was right away carted off for a six by Gayle. But Ashwin bowled an excellent delivery to Gayle the very next ball and got him out. He came back to pick the wicket of Mc Cullum two balls later. This might not be of much significance to the team’s chances, but it was a turning point in Ashwin’s career. He was slowly gaining confidence with each passing game, and began picking up wickets quite consistently.

He quickly rose up the ranks with his showing in the IPL, and got a chance to represent the country in the shorter formats. Ashwin made his debut against Sri Lanka in 2010. Due to his consistency, Ashwin got a chance to represent India in the 2011 World Cup. He was not picked for the first few games, since there was a more experienced spinner (Harbhajan) in the playing eleven. But he got his chance in the quarterfinals of the World Cup against Australia, where he picked up two crucial wickets of Watson, who was threatening to take the game away from the Indians, and Ponting, who made a fine century. Ashwin bowled a tough line, making it difficult for the batsmen to hit him. Though he was not picked for the finals, Ashwin had already done his bit for the team.

Ashwin had to wait for a long time to make his Test debut since Harbhajan was in the playing eleven and the team couldn’t afford to have two off-spinners in the playing eleven. Ashwin made his debut finally in November 2011 against the visiting West Indies. He immediately made an impact picking up 9 wickets in his very first match. He carried on in the same vein throughout the series, bagging 21 wickets in the series and also got the Man of the Series award.

The most important thing in Ashwin’s debut was his batting. He surprised one and all by applying himself very cleverly and scoring some important runs throughout the series. He made a fine century in the third Test, and saved India from the jaws of certain defeat. The manner in which he got those runs were simply outrageous. He went after each bowler, continuously milking them for runs all over the park. His technique was solid and rare for a number 8 batsman. He averages nearly 40 in Tests, which is a very good average even for a full-time batsman at this level.

He has batted well for a number eight batsman scoring runs consistently and quickly.The most important aspect of his batting is that he is not a wild slogger, rather a capable batsman who’s technique is sound and has all the shots in the book. Being the opening batsman in junior level cricket has helped him quite a bit, and he is using that to full effect now.

Ashwin should be handled carefully now. He should be given ample chances to bat up the order to see whether he can sustain and perform in every game. But he should not be put under pressure to deliver every time he goes out to bat, because we do not want another case like Irfan. So, Ashwin should be encouraged to bat at No 5 in inconsequential dead rubber matches and groom him. If taken care of properly, Ashwin can very well be a Shakib-Al-Hasan or a Daniel Vettori for our team.

He has got huge potential as a batsman, and Dhoni and the coaching staff should do more to help him attain the status of a genuine all-rounder who can win matches on his own. His only weakness is his fielding, and he can make up by scoring some runs in every match and contribute in this way for the team. With the emergence of Ashwin, the team can afford to have an extra batsman or bowler depending on the situation, and that is an added bonus for any skipper. The search for a genuine all-rounder by Dhoni can be fulfilled if Ashwin can truly live up to his potential. But whether he will is a question that only time can answer.