What makes a spinner great? Anil Kumble was not a great turner of the ball. But, he still scalped more than 600 wickets in Test cricket. What was Kumble’s secret of success? The answer is variation and a plan. A great spinner doesn’t just come out and try to spin the ball. A great spinner gets inside the head of a batsman and thinks like a batsman. That’s how they get wickets and that is exactly what Kumble did his entire career. This is exactly what Ashwin has been doing.
Ashwin does his homework before coming out on the field. He has variations in his arsenal. He has specific deliveries for every batsman. But, his greatest power is ability to plan his killings. And, with Anil Kumble by his side as Team coach, they plan and plot to annihilate batting line ups of the opponents.
In the post match presentation, Ashwin shared what he had in mind before coming out to bowl in second innings. Ashwin told Ravi Shastri that his idea of getting wickets was to get the batsmen to drive. He said there was no bounce in the pitch. So prospects of getting wickets using bounce were minimal. So, he was bowling slow and just in the driving range of batsmen.
He was using foot marks and rough patches to get the ball to turn. He enticed the batsmen to drive and that’s how he got most of his wickets. Ashwin had also shared his plan after first innings. But, the Kiwis couldn’t help but fall prey to this masterful hunter. They drove and gifted away their wickets to the champion.
Ashwin was adjudged Man of the Match and Man of the Series. He took 27 wickets in the series. Ashwin’s success can be attributed to his ability to plan for every batsman. He has played only 39 Test matches, but has taken 220 wickets.
He is the fastest Indian and second fastest in the world to take 200 wickets in Test matches.He has got bulk of his wickets in India. 153 wickets on Indian pitches means he is the most lethal bowler on Indian pitches.
WATCH: How Ashwin planned Kane Williamson’s wicket
#TeamIndia bowler @ashwinravi99 on how he plotted Williamson’s dismissals #INDvNZ pic.twitter.com/3kE0iYuYwn
— BCCI (@BCCI) October 10, 2016
Ashwin has taken 5 or more wickets on 21 occasions. And, he is barely 30.
Ashwin has matured with time. He has studied batsmen and taught himself.He has one of the most shrewd spinners of the world by his side as coach. All this makes him the best spinner in the world. He can really make India dominate Test cricket.
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