Ravichandran Ashwin — His main focus should be off-spin instead of experimentation

Ravichandran Ashwin

In the second ODI against Australia at Mohali, apart from the very poor Ishant Sharma, the performance of R Ashwin came as a big shock.

Although Bhuvneshwar Kumar was also not able to do much and Yuvraj Singh was also not at his best, but the shaky performance of R Ashwin hurt the fans most. His bowling scorecard read as 8-0-50-1 – an average of 6.25 runs per over.

Overall, in the last four matches, he has taken just four wickets. To sum up, his economy in the other three matches has been 5.50 (first match), 6.44(third match) and 6.33(fourth match). Quite ordinary!

Many of the fans admire Ashwin, as the way he carries himself is great. His body language, facial expressions and bowling action indicate a professional and focused approach.

To prove my point, I intend to take you back to the last over of the Champions Trophy 2013. Remember the way he was shuffling the ball in his hands, smiling a bit, coming in with the perfect run up, having a synchronized bowling action with precise movements of the arm – resulting in the ball dropping right on the dot.

I remember a friend of mine pointed out right there and then, that the self-esteem, confidence and dedication shown by him were tremendous. I said to my friend that this is called rising to the occasion, given the gravity of the situation. Perhaps it was his commitment which got him a place in the Indian team after the retirement of legendary Anil Kumble and repeated failures of Harbhajan Singh.

But off late, it appears that instead of bowling traditional off spin, Ashwin has been focusing more on experiments. Trying something off-beat once in a while is not bad, but anything new should be effective and fruitful. Just one example is that the doosra of Bhajji was welcomed initially, but once the batsmen came to know about it, the impact was gone.

Bowling the carom ball or effecting a pause just before a delivery has not proved worthwhile. These experiments can be a big risk, especially in tricky matches. Even the commentators were insisting that Ashwin should stick to his strength of off spin.

I intend to specifically make it a point that Ashwin is already 27, and he has entered the arena a little late. So this is not a time for experimenting anything new which may result in his downfall.

Also, many of the fans strongly feel that Ashwin has become a little complacent. There is a very thin line between self-esteem and being over confident. I am sure he is talented, committed, and hardworking, but common sense has to prevail.

Ashwin, being an engineer, would understand the message well. I am sure once he is focused again he will be gaining the lost rhythm. R Ashwin will again spread his magic. I do hope he understands our feelings for him. Loads of good wishes!