Ravichandran Ashwin awaits biggest test at home against South Africa
Ravichandran Ashwin awaits biggest test at home against South Africa
After ordinary performances, India’s ace spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is getting back to peak form. Ever since he was dropped for the first Test against Australia in 2014 at Adelaide, he has come back strongly. He has reaped rich rewards for going to back to his traditional way of bowling spin, concentrating on just bowling the orthodox off-spinner and the variation is being used wisely. The reverse preference of these qualities had resulted in his poor show. Every bowler loves to bowl in conditions that suit his style of bowling, and Ashwin will be happy to be back at home after a few testing tours. But an important, and possibly his biggest test, awaits him in the form of South Africa, opines Nikhil Popat.
From 12 wickets in three Tests at an average of 48.66 in Australia, to 21 wickets in the three Tests at an average of 18.09 in Sri Lanka, Ravichandran Ashwin has successfully marked his return, establishing himself as the lead spinner for India in the format once again. It is not co-incidence that ever since Ashwin made his Test debut, India have won five Test series with him as the Man of the Series in four of them, with three of these coming in India. As India have begun their preparations to take on South Africa, Ashwin will know his form will go long way in determining how his fares in their first full home series since the retirement of Sachin Tendulkar in 2013. Read: Ravichandran Ashwin: I want to be the best bowler in the world
Talking about his experience, Ashwin has played just a solitary Test against South Africa, five One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and four Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is). But since most of the South Africans play in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and have faced Ashwin in pressure situations, they should be able to handle the challenge that Ashwin poses.
Ashwin will have his task cut out; the last time he came up against a side which played spin rather decently, he struggled. Against England in 2012, he struggled to get past the in-form Alastair Cook and an attacking Kevin Pietersen, and resultantly India went onto lose the four-Test series 1-2 after winning the first Test. It will be crucial for him to be at his best as Ashwin will be tested by the likes of Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis. The trio can be regarded as the best players of spin currently and will be testing the guile of Ashwin. Read: Ravichandran Ashwin best off-spinner in the world, says Ravi Shastri
Ashwin, though, will bank on the exploits and the exposure he has had against them in the recent past. The wicket of Amla in the ICC World T20 2014 is still fresh — a doosra which spun a long way after pitching outside the leg stump to disturb the wickets. He has played a lot of cricket with du Plessis at Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and would want to ensure the South African does not get the better of him. Ashwin’s test might be the sternest against de Villiers, who has been in rich vein of form and could be a thorn in the flesh for the Indians.
Ashwin’s success has been the reason for India’s dominance in the last few series’ and if India are to dominate a formidable South African side, they will need their ace spinner to be at his lethal best. Read: Ravichandran Ashwin needs better spin partners
(Nikhil Popat is diehard cricket enthusiast and a PotterHead till the end of time. He can be followed on Twitter @CricCrazyNIKS)