Less is more, the Ashwin way

R Ashwin was among the first to cheer Ravindra Jadeja when the left-arm spinner was on his wicket-taking spree in the first innings against Australia in the opening Test at the VCA stadium. But it was obvious that he didn’t like missing out on the action himself.

Picking three middle/ lower-order wickets while his partner had a fifer on his return to international cricket, didn’t sit well with the off-spinner. As his desperation grew, he tightened up, forced the pace, and expected the pitch to do as much as it was touted to do. It didn’t.

Ashwin wasn’t pleased with the work, though, he played a big part in Australia being bowled out for 177.

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Trying to remain supportive of his partner in crime while battling a disappointment in himself turned into a distant look with a fake smile. What Ashwin had on his face wasn’t envy as Jadeja walked off the field, waving the ball.

That a first-innings performance of that quality had a large implication on the psyche of the visitors, was missed by Ashwin for the moment, maybe more.

Until Alex Carey played an obnoxious reverse sweep to trap himself leg before wicket on Saturday, Ashwin had that look on his face. Yeah, it took him figures of 5 for 37 from 12 overs to let go.

As for the look itself, it was one which reflected the determination to remain relevant to the context of the game. One which acutely projected his desperate need to prove he is every bit worth the 457 Test wickets he has so far. One which showcased his insecurities and the brilliance it gives birth to.

Ashwin loves validation as much as he does the art of bowling. Having lived in the shadows of giants for years on end despite proving himself on every track, in every condition, with every record, Ashwin has a reason for resentment.

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But when you see what he can do with a ball in hand, you tend to forget that he is human, let alone one of the greatest off-spinners of all time. Then you begin to wonder why he’d ever behave as if he chased instead of owning up to being the one chased.

See, what Ashwin does with that 5-something-ounce bits of leather and cork is nothing short of manipulating the way in which we interact with time and space.

When you spend time looking at replays of the deliveries which have side spin on them, you get a peek at what he’s capable of. And when you wake up from the state of hypnosis he puts you in, he has already taken a whole bunch of wickets while still compulsively tugging at his jersey at the shoulders.

Take the third day of the Test, for instance, nearly every single one of his 72 deliveries looked the same: the ball exited his bowing arm and the seam remained perpendicular to the index finger until hitting the pitch. Save for Mohammed Shami’s bolt-upright seam at every speed, this is one of the most poetic sights in slow motion.

Ashwin could have chosen to ruin the sanctity of those visuals by mixing them up with one of the myriad variations he’s very good at. He didn’t, though.

He knew the natural variation off the pitch will do what needed to be done. Also, the Aussies were anyway playing the pitch and not the ball so Ashwin didn’t really have to do much but stay consistent.

Had this been Ashwin from a few years ago, he would’ve found the desperate need to show the world all that he can do and all that he has been working on. Now, even when his ego is getting the better of him, he didn’t resort to his variations. He remained rooted to his reading of the pitch and opposition and stuck with the stock ball.

“He is a very studious guy,” says Rohit Sharma of Ashwin. “It’s one thing to have pitches which assist you, it’s another to be able to exploit it. His ability to extract (assistance) from these pitches is remarkable, and it happens because he is so skilled and he understands the game so well. He is a very studious guy and likes to understand his game and take it to the next level.

“If you see him he is getting better and better every time you see him. He looks a different bowler every single time. That’s what good cricketers do, they try and up their game and try to reach the next level.”

Isn’t ‘good cricketer’ a bit of an understatement, Rohit?