His instinctive ability to grasp, adjust and deliver is what makes him such an outstanding cricketer. Cool and restrained on the field, Ravichandran Ashwin is a synergy of physical and mental strength, moving up the ladder with each passing day.
A unique amalgam of flair and character, he has an arsenal full of ammunition –off-breaks, carom balls – and a sharp mind top it all. The 3-0 whitewash a few days back is the latest among the several triumphs he has scripted for India. The off-spinner was declared Man of the Series for his outstanding performance – he picked up 27 wickets at an average of 17.77 in the three Tests. In the process, He also became the fastest Indian to pick up 200 Test wickets.
In what is turning out to be a record-breaking year for the Indian off-spinner, the 30-year-old not only surpassed legends like Waqar Younis and Dennis Lillee to become the second fastest bowler to claim 200 Test wickets but also became the fastest Indian to do so. Ashwin reached the milestone in only 37 Tests, faster than Harbhajan Singh who made it to the mark in 46 Tests. Ashwin's feat is second only next to Australia’s Clarrie Grimmett, who picked up his 200th scalp in 36 Tests.
Ashwin has been in terrific form this year and is winning matches not only with his bowling but also with his batting. In the recently concluded Test series against West Indies, he scored 235 runs with two centuries and picked up whooping 17 wickets to help India register their biggest ever Test series victory on the Caribbean soil.
Ashwin's ascent to the top has been extraordinary. A strike rate of 49.4 for a spinner with 220 wickets in just 39 Tests is unbelievably, breathtakingly and awesomely good -- only five fast bowlers, including Dale Steyn, Waqar Younis, Malcolm Marshall, Alan Donald and Fred Trueman, have had a better strike rate when they crossed the 200-wicket mark in their careers.
Such is the aura of the off-spinner that even Test skipper Virat Kohli has termed him as the most valuable player of his Test side. Calling him an outstanding cricketer, the skipper had said recently that Ashwin was not only a very hard working cricketer, but a very keen thinker of the game as well. “He’s been outstanding for the Indian team. There are quite a few players making big impact for their respective sides, especially bowlers. Bowlers are the one I feel that win you Test matches and Ashwin is one of them. He understands the game very well and is a very smart and intelligent cricketer. That shows in his batting as well. He understands the situation and plays accordingly. It is priceless to have a cricketer like Ashwin in your Test team. He gives balance with both bat and ball,” Kohli had said.
Even legendary Sunil Gavaskar rates the off-spinner very high; he feels that the rate at which Ashwin is picking up wickets and demolishing opposition batting line-ups, he would join the pantheon of greats very quickly.
But then picking up wickets hasn’t come to the bowler overnight. It’s a proficiency born out of experience. After taking nine wickets in his maiden Test against West Indies, he went on to break the Indian record of being the fastest 100 Test wickets, held by Erapalli Prasanna, reaching the landmark in his 18th game. However, the same year saw him hitting the slump, and he was out for six Tests. Thereafter, Ashwin made some changes to his bowling and recaptured his form to finish with 31 wickets in India's 3-0 series win against South Africa at home in November-December 2015. Ever since, the Tamil Nadu bowler hasn’t looked back.
And with a gruelling season lying ahead, with India playing 10 Tests in next five months, including five-Test series against England from early next month, followed by one Test against Bangladesh and four-Test series against Australia, no opposition can expect any mercy from this predator on the prowl.
