Ashwin: The Ultimate Combination of Skills and Boundless Innovation

Brisbane: Visiting cricket teams can now breathe a sigh of relief when traveling to India, as they will no longer have to face a bowler who effortlessly takes wickets for fun. R Ashwin has showcased his mastery of the game by skillfully changing angles, pace, delivery stride, and other tactics to secure his place among the greatest cricketers of all time.

Since November 6, 2011 — when Ashwin made his Test debut — India have amassed the best home record in the world. An unearthly win/loss ratio of 5.222 made it the toughest country in the world to tour.

In this period, India won 47 off the 65 matches they played. Nine were drawn and just nine were lost. There are, of course, many reasons for this record — for a while Virat Kohli’s batting hit an unmatched high and everything else seemed to be falling in place as well.

But the biggest reason for this crazy shift was R Ashwin. The off-spinner, who announced his retirement from international cricket on Wednesday, took 303 wickets in those 47 wins at home, at an average of 18.16. In the nine matches India lost, his average was 33.88. These numbers are extraordinary and give you a true glimpse into his genius.

Ashwin was the complete package. If he didn’t get you with spin, he would use flight; if it wasn’t flight, it would be a change of angle; if it wasn’t a change of angle, it would perhaps be a carrom ball. For every tour, something new would be prepared. The constant tinkering was the sign of a man chasing perfection with the verve of a mad scientist.

But perhaps change was always in his DNA. India skipper Rohit Sharma, during his press conference on Wednesday, recalled when he first ran into Ashwin.

“I have played cricket with Ash since under-17. He was an opening batsman then. And then a few years later, we all disappeared. And then suddenly I am hearing news about Tamil Nadu’s R. Ashwin taking 5 wickets… 7 wickets. And I was wondering who this guy is,” said Rohit. “Because I played him as a batsman and then suddenly he has turned out to be a bowler who’s taking fifers. And then obviously, you know, at international cricket we met again and then we had a long, long journey together since 2010.”

Teams would come to India having prepared for one Ashwin, only to see another turn up. But his greatest strength was knowing what to use against whom. You may have all the variations in the world but if you don’t know when to use them, it is useless.

Ashwin would use video and his experience to break batters down to their very bone. Not only that, he would also break down other bowlers who had success against the touring team. What pace were they bowling at? What angle? What percentage of balls were within the stumps? Some might think it insane, but it was his way.

And few can argue that it didn’t work. Ashwin was an information beast. He would also look at data from the pitch and would often be seen looking at videos during lunch or tea breaks. He will watch every single ball, in slow motion if need be, to see what cues he can pick up. This attention to detail allowed him to constantly reevaluate his gameplan. As a result, the batters often didn’t know that they were being hit by the perfect combination of science and skill.

It wasn’t always a special delivery either. It was him quietly chipping away at the batter, over after over, ball after ball, and that patience made him deadly. The batter knew that given enough time he would outwait and outwit them.

India not losing a Test series at home from 2012 to 2024 was singularly down to the spinners. Even when the batters failed, Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja were simply unstoppable. They were both relentless, gave nothing away, and sooner rather than later, the opposition would wilt.

Ashwin once called himself “an engineer who became a cricketer” and he helped India construct their fortress at home. He knew exactly what each venue would throw up and that saw him finish his Test career with most wickets at seven different Test venues: Mumbai, Hyderabad, Nagpur, Visakhapatnam, Indore, Pune, Dharamsala. His away record wasn’t the best, but like all greats he knew how to pick his battles.

He was good with the new ball too and at no point could the batter rest easy. And his under-rated batting often saved India the blushes. Now, with him gone, as unexpectedly as one of his many variations, the next generation of Indian spinners have a hard act to follow. The only solace is that he has prepared the path for them to follow. If only they dare…