R ASHWIN
R Ashwin
‘I SOMETIMES FEEL THAT PEOPLE DON’T UNDERSTAND THE GAME’
Having tormented England on their last visit to his backyard in 2021, India’s cerebral off-spinner has been busy hatching new plans to counter a different style of play. Anand Vasu takes a closer look at a 37-year-old who, a dozen years on from his Test debut, is still expanding his knowledge of the game
ANAND VASU
Indian author and journalist
@anandvasu
R Ashwin is on the cusp. When England arrive in India, he will have 95 Test appearances to his name. On India’s recent tour of South Africa, Ashwin featured in one Test, but that was only because Ravindra Jadeja was injured. This has been the pattern for Ashwin when India have played abroad recently. But it’s a different story at home. If the 37-year-old stays fit he will lead the attack in each of the five Tests, and you can be sure there will be two other spinners in the XI given the kind of pitches India like to play on at home.
Ashwin is also on the verge of another milestone: he needs 10 scalps to get to 500 Test wickets. Among spinners, only Muttiah Muralitharan, Shane Warne, Anil Kumble and Nathan Lyon have more. And Lyon, who forms a mutual admiration society with Ashwin, is only 19 ahead of him, so Ashwin will be confident of going past the Australian in the next month.
PHOTO BY ROBERT CIANFLONE