South African batsmen playing on home pitches have faced extremely competitive and capable Indian bowlers in the past. Kapil Dev and Anil Kumble to name a couple upset the local batsmen, with control over the craft and ability to do things off the pitch. Ravichandran Ashwin is the latest Indian missile to be launched over South Africa in the test series starting 26 December. With 427 Test wickets, only Kapil (434), Kumble (619) are ahead of him among the elite wicket-takers among Indians. ‘ List.
South Africa knew what to expect when Kapil came to the bowling crease with that rhythmic run-up, swing and cut as the ball did his bidding. Batsmen struggled to read him in the air and off the pitch. Kumble’s intensity in the act of bowling was in the expectation of a wicket on almost every ball, working the batsman’s mind on each ball. Batsmen got no respite from facing this long hustler, little time to plan, as a delivery or a shocking bounce on tight lengths destabilized the best.
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Ashwin is a mix of both, clever like Kapil the maestro and competitive like Kumble. No comparison between these three match-winners from different eras, the last two leading India. The common factor between these three bowlers is the intent to dominate the batsmen session after session in a Test match, in order to break the resistance and achieve the team’s goals. Kapil’s last Test match was in 1994, Kumble troubled the batsmen till 2008, the baton now held by Ashwin, in a class of his own, yet again and again asked to prove his worth.
He gets adjusted to different formats, and recently featured in the T20 World Cup. Test cricket is at its best, five days on different tracks with ups and downs and different conditions don’t matter, he delivers. With his tail up after securing Player of the Series honors in two five-day matches against New Zealand, Ashwin is in that mood with the ball in hand. The offspinner is the most experienced bowler on the tour of South Africa (81 Tests and 111 ODIs), a spinner equipped with the skills to make the most of an impact in both teams.
The competitive streak extends to the body language of the fighting Indian. Former Australian captain Tim Paine, who is now in deep cold water after an off-field brawl, will never forget the result of engaging Ashwin in a duel with words on the final day of the Sydney Test. With constant chatter from behind the sticks, the wicket-keeper attempted to disturb the Indian’s concentration. The audio exchange at the crease was picked up by the stump mic, the intensity of the words flying back and forth.
India then drew the Sydney Test 1-1, went on to win the series for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy as Ashwin had the last laugh.
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The Australia captain had clearly picked the wrong player, as Ashwin answered Penn’s questions in a timely manner. The exchange of words on the pitch between the two hardened professionals escalated to such a level that the batsman refused to strike until the chatter stopped. Wicketkeeper loses focus in a heated exchange, Mitchell Starc drops a catch, Ashwin escapes and so does India.
The patience on display at the crease in the company of Hanuma Vihari during the Sydney game against Australia was in view of his position as a dependable batsman in crisis. India could always rely on Ashwin for wickets, especially breakthroughs, with the frontline batsmen ousted, Steve Smith, for example, who could dictate the course of a match, becoming their bunny. Home games against England or New Zealand or an away series in any corner of the world are part of a tough day’s work for him.
The people of South Africa would have watched that thrilling series Down Under along with the rest of the cricketing world and marveled at India’s fight. The challenging conditions brought out the best in the audience, with almost everyone including Ashwin giving it a chance. India’s next overseas tour was England and he was not selected in the playing squad for three Tests, with left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja and four fast bowlers selected. England are down
1-2 and the postponed fourth Test is yet to be played.
Wickets in South Africa are expected to be quicker for the three Tests at Centurion, Wanderers and Newlands respectively. As a wicket-taker, Ashwin is expected to be a lethal element of the Indian attack, giving a fillip to the pacers’ efforts. The six fast bowlers (Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohammad Siraj, Umesh Yadav and Shardul Thakur) have different roles in the touring party and will fight for a berth in the playing squad. The talent seen in the fast bowling pack of spectators has amazed and impressed the Indian cricket audience.
Turning the pages of history, apart from Kapil’s habit of making an impact, the slender Javagal Srinath notices the pace that a silky run on the tracks made for the likes of Allan Donald to make batsmen quick in mistakes. Could generate up. It’s also hard to forget the Durban memory of S Sreesanth’s short-pitched delivery that made Jacques Kallis jump to the crease. The ball left the glove and went to the nearest fielder. Had the best delivery of the 2010 tour of India and came on the bat after pitching. The great all-rounder reacted in reflex action, caught between avoiding and blocking.
Injuries to Hardik Pandya and Jadeja leave the bowling all-rounder’s slot open. The offspinner has filled that role before, with confidence with the ball on his batting. He battled back pain on the fourth day at the SCG to score 39 off 128 against Australia. Banking on compact defense to block the ball and stop the noise from the close-in cordon. The attentiveness at the crease by India’s No.7 batsman was worth more than the runs. Five tons and 11 fifties in 81 Tests (till the home series against New Zealand) are no fluke. Batting has never been stress-free for Ashwin, either playing match-saving innings or accumulating runs during run chases in the company of tailenders.
India needs more attacking bowler in itself, who is able to make his mark even against the opening batsmen with the new ball. The approach of Ashwin’s investigation from the bowling crease is like a game of chess versus batsmen – over the wicket, round the wicket and various points of release in an over, the change in line makes it difficult for the opponents to plan. It was a difficult task for him to win the trust of the captains for strange reasons.
After every match-winning show, he is on a test, like the entrance exam for this 35-year-old man with a high cricketing IQ.
Ashwin gets off the course at times, such as in the Kanpur Test against the Kiwis when he made headlines for warning umpire Nitin Menon. As per his nature of making every effort to ask awkward questions to the batsmen, the offspinner blocked the match official’s approach in his follow-through across the stumps. Indian was trying to change the point of his release, doing so became a matter of curiosity for the game’s rule makers.
At times he has caught the attention of cricket connoisseurs with a special talent, besides making opponents extremely wary of new tricks up his sleeve, it is time to give Ravichandran Ashwin a little bit of security about his place in the team, so that he Can go hunting for wickets in South Africa, equipped with a sharp eye to peck at the batsman’s defence. The spinner can stealthily wield the knife, even as fellow fast bowlers do their destructive-ball act.
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