Friday, Jun 9, 2023

Crafty Ashwin silences his critics

There is a lot of variation and has kept the Australians guessing with intelligent bowling: Shivlal

By N Jagannath Das

Published Date - 11:31 PM, Fri - 1 January 21

Hyderabad: One of the biggest stories in this ongoing series is the terrible loss of form of Steve Smith, the Australian mainstay. It is something that has exposed the Australian middle order. A worried coach Justin Langer is working overtime to arrest this slump. Smith has fallen to Ravichandran Ashwin twice in this series and the former captain himself admitted that the Indian off spinner has dictated terms.

“I’ve sort of let him dictate terms and that’s something I’ve probably never let any spinner do in my career. I’ve sort of taken it to them, been a bit more aggressive and made them change things,’’ said Smith the other day.

The crafty Ashwin has been enjoying his bowling. “Coming down to Australia and if you cannot get Steven Smith out, it is always going to be an uphill task,” he said. The 34-year-old has mesmerised and strangled the Australian batsmen with his subtle variations that have helped him to garner the attention. The Australians are confused in their game plan as Marnus Labuschagne said they need to play more aggressively and target a bowler.

For this veteran of 73 Tests, it was a victory of sorts. For long, he has been talked more of a sub-continent bowler as he did not find much success outside India in the past. But in this tour, Ashwin silenced his critics and has been the main wicket-taking bowler along with paceman Jasprit Bumrah.

Former Test off spinner N Shivlal Yadav, who twice toured Australia and found success, said the extra bounce always helps a spinner. “If you give the ball more air and turn, you will find success. I always liked to bowl on Australian wickets as it suited my style of bowling. It is always a challenge to bowl against the aggressive Australian batsmen. I always cherished the wicket of Kim Hughes, whom I deceived him in the flight,’’ he said.

According to Shivlal, Ashwin has bowled intelligently so far in the series. “He is flighting the ball more and therefore he is getting that extra bounce from the wicket. That is why Venkataraghan did not do well while Prasanna did. Ashwin is a much matured bowler. There is a lot of variation and has kept the Australians guessing with intelligent bowling.
“Among his wickets, I enjoyed the leg trap dismissal of Steve Smith in the Melbourne Test. That was a beautifully planned delivery. It pitched on off and middle before taking the inside edge of Smith’s bat and it went to leg slip,’’ he said.

Shivlal said Ajinkya Rahane gave confidence to Ashwin by bringing him before lunch. “There was slight moisture on the wicket and it helped Ashwin spin the ball. A captain can make a bowler or finish a bowler. Rahane is a quiet person and does all the talking in the dressing room. He doesn’t show it on the field while Virat Kohli is all aggression on the field. I will be more comfortable with Rahane’s captaincy and leave to the bowler to plot the dismissal of a batsman.’’

Shivlal further added that Sydney is good for spinners where Ashwin could relish that wicket. “There is extra bounce. He and Ravindra Jadeja can trouble the Australian batsman,’’ he said.
V Ramnarayan said it is nice to see a leg trap dismissal. “Ashwin has worked hard on his bowling. Let us give respect to this bowler. He has taken over 370 wickets. In this tour, Ashwin has revelled with his bowler. Rahane is also giving him good field settings. Having taken Smith twice this tour is a big achievement for Ashwin. But Smith can be dangerous. It could be a challenge between him and Ashwin in the Sydney Test.’’

The former Hyderabad Ranji off spinner pointed out that Ashwin is a much improved bowler in this series. “Before the start of the series, I used to rate Lyon higher than Ashwin. But now Ashwin proved himself a better bowler so far in this series. Hopefully, he will continue to do. He is eager to bowl and there is more intensity.’’

Also read: