Ravichandran Ashwin: What is going wrong?

Ravichandran Ashwin is struggling

Another ODI. Another game where the Indian bowlers concede more than 270. This time though, it was against Bangladesh in spinner-friendly conditions. There is enough reason for the Indian think tank to worry ahead of the World Cup defence which will start in less than a year from now.

A huge cause for concern is the form of Ravichandran Ashwin. Ashwin in his last few games, has hardly picked up any wickets, nor has he kept the scoring down. The fact that Ashwin is now bowling with yet another changed action only reflects the confused state of mind that he is is right now.

For starters, there is no doubting that Ashwin is a quality bowler, who has immense ability and is blessed with a smart cricketing brain. So, where does the problem lie? Some might say that Ashwin tries too many things, while others say he doesn’t put enough work on his stock delivery, the off-break. Whatever it is, being the lead spinner of the country, Ashwin needs to find a way out of this mess pretty soon.

In the Asia Cup, Ashwin unveiled a new bowling action, similar to Sunil Narine‘s in a bid to reclaim lost form. The fact that his bowling has dipped so much that he has had to change his action speaks volumes about Ashwin’s confidence level at the moment.

Ashwin used to be a wicket-taking bowler, someone whom MS Dhoni could call on at any time to break a partnership. And it was his ability to do that for the Chennai Super Kings that won him his India call-up. However, in recent times, Ashwin is proving to be a much more defensive bowler.

Where’s the off-spin?

For an off spinner, the ideal line to start the off-break would be around off-stump, or just outside it. But with Ashwin, the off break starts on middle and leg stump, resulting in the large number of wides that he bowls. Also, Ashwin is guilty at times, of trying way too much. The Carrom balls, leg breaks, googlies have all been tried but that seems to have taken a toll on his stock delivery.

These days, it is very evident that Ashwin puts very little work on his off-break. The pivot that he used to have so beautifully with his old action is now gone, and with it, the body in the delivery is gone. It seems now, that Ashwin is bowling mechanically from the hands, and you cannot expect to be successful when there is that little going on with your stock delivery.

Also, there needs to be a change in Ashwin’s mentality. Especially with a fast bowling side as weak as India’s, there is no way that Ashwin can be a restricting option. He has to be the wicket-taker, and share the burden along with the likes of Ravindra Jadeja.

Ashwin must work on these deficiencies, because this is a crucial phase for Indian cricket. With tours to England and Australia coming up, India needs its lead spinner fit and firing.