It’s the first innings of the third Test match between India and England at Mohali, 2016. India is batting first at 256 for 6; Anderson comes in to bowl the second delivery of the 82nd over, the batsmen drives through covers for a boundary to reach his half-century. The very next ball, it’s a straight drive – elegantly stroked down the ground for another boundary.
No, we are not talking about any top order batsmen for India batting with the lower order. This time it’s Ravichandran Ashwin - the spinner, who we all recognise but the batsman not as much.
Ashwin has garnered praises ever since he got to 200 wickets in Tests and became the fastest Indian to do so and the second fastest in the world. Further, he went on to grab 27 wickets in the Test series against New Zealand in India last month to become the Man of the series. He achieved his career best of 7 for 59 in the last Test to seal the series with a white-wash, garnering enough credit for India’s win.
Currently ranked No. 1 in Tests, Ashwin - the bowler, is professed to be on its way to becoming the next best thing in Indian bowling. However, his achievements as a bowler may seem to be downplaying his contributions as a batsman lately.
Potential with the bat
Ashwin’s potential with the bat took a while to be recognised by Indian Cricket. It was only his recent performances at number 6 after being promoted over other all-rounders proved to be otherwise. “When I batted at No. 8, I think like a bowler at times and want to get a few extra runs. So I used to play a few more shots” said Ashwin, post his hundred at number 6 against West Indies at St. Lucia earlier this year.
In the six innings played so far at that position, he has been averaging 55.16 which comprises of 2 brilliant centuries as well. A testament of how effectively he’s responding to the responsibility of batting up the order and delivering well for the side. Moreover, as he got the chance to bat higher in the order, his approach towards the game has changed for better.
He looks confident enough to stay longer at the crease and build partnerships. Whereas batting too low made him take the tail-ender approach more often than not, leaving his batting skills under-utilised.
Talking numbers
Talking about the numbers this year, he has managed 545 runs with an average of 45.41 so far. Surprising most of us, he is also the 4th highest run-getter for India in 2016 just after Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane.
The other lower middle order batsmen are at a considerable distance away from him in terms of the total runs scored, where Ravindra Jadeja has got 299 runs and Wriddhiman Saha stands at 366 runs for the year till now. These stats when put into perspective talk way more clearly as to how the popularly known off-spinner needs to be given higher importance as a batsman as well.
Moreover, the absolute brilliance with which Ashwin tackles the seriousness of the situations and yet makes runs deserves additional attention and acknowledgement. India was 87 for 4 at St. Lucia against the West Indies with their top order back in the den. Here comes Ashwin and scores 118 of 297 deliveries for the side and gets them out of trouble with sheer brilliance and needed skills. This performance eventually helped the team win the match and dominate the series 2-0.
In the on-going series, first Test match against England in Rajkot, where India was running behind a mammoth total of 537 posted by England in the first innings. At 361 for 6, the hosts were still 176 runs behind with the crucial job left in the hands of the lower order batsmen. Ashwin rose to the occasion and got 70 runs off 199 balls batting till he got out as the last wicket of the innings. The final result of the match was a draw where India was left with 4 wickets in hand.
However, the outcome of the match certainly could’ve been worse had it not been for Ashwin - the batsman. Carrying his form further, he got 58 in the first innings of second Test match to strengthen India’s position in the game. This was followed by a fine 72 runs in the third Test at Mohali getting India to a comfortable position to lead. Certainly, much of the contribution goes to Ashwin - the batsman.
Even Sourav Ganguly, one of India’s most successful captains rightly pointed out in his recent interview saying, “India should make it absolutely mandatory to play five bowlers in Test cricket because you have somebody like Ashwin at No. 6, somebody who bats so well.”
The Indian side should, therefore, look to utilise this untapped potential of Ashwin by displaying higher confidence in him during difficult situations that can suit his batting style. More variety could be introduced, if the number, at which he comes to bat, could be altered as per the needs. Be it even, getting him ahead of any other regular batsmen depending upon the requirement of the situation.
This will also give the side flexibility with their current team combinations and giving them the ability to try out new youngsters in the side, which should reap benefits in the long run.
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