Ravichandran Ashwin: Time to stay hungry and to stay humble

MS Dhoni has time and again been let down by R Ashwin in overseas Tests

They say that sport teaches you to remain grounded and humble. Some of the greatest cricketing heroes from India also taught you that. The golden generation which included Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman, Anil Kumble – gave some sterling performances on the field – but at the same time, they remained grounded and rooted to the firm belief that it is performance that counts and not what you speak.

Aggressive new India

But the current Indian team does not have individuals who can be spoken of in the same breath. Yes – Team India bleeds blue, is ultra-aggro defined, does not mind giving a piece of mind to opposition players and also believe that they are the best. Well, they say that being positive in mind is an important aspect of body language – shows confidence in your abilities – but then there is a very thin line between confidence and over confidence. Indian cricket’s transition has been interesting.

From a team described as “lions at home and lambs abroad” in the early 1990s, India have gone on from strength to strength with strong performances abroad and at one point in time was the only team in the world that looked capable of beating the mighty Australian team. These strong performances came on the back of a solid core of cricketers with strong ethics.

These were players who were role models, both with performances on the field and their behaviour off. They did not give lip service to show aggression. Their aggression was either through the steely determination of a Rahul Dravid or the broad blade of a Sachin or the mind numbing accuracy of a Kumble. Each of them kept working on their game, accepted their faults and came back stronger by tweaking their games.

Ashwin’s arrogance

It would be harsh to brand the work ethic of this current Indian team. But as an outsider, one just gets the feeling that some of these “superstars” could do with a dose of humility. One of them is Ravichandran Ashwin. Listening to the off-spinner’s post match views on TV made me cringe.

Presenter: What about your bowling?

Ashwin: I think I have been bowling better than ever before. In the last 50 days, my bowling has gone up a notch or two. I did not concede a boundary. I bowled really well. Created a few chances!

Well, being an engineer, I think he would be smart enough to gauge that his overseas record does not speak of how well his bowling has gone up “by a notch or two”

When asked about Moeen Ali, he said: “Just one of those days you know, these things happen. It makes a real difference when you have a 250 run lead and you are a spinner.”

Yes, these things do happen – but why not with Indian spinners? Moeen Ali is just second in the wickets column next to James Anderson. He has taken 3 times the wickets that Jadeja and Ashwin have taken combined. He has not only created chances but also taken wickets. It has not helped that Indian batsmen have not played him well, but the guy has bowled well – give him credit where it is due.

Performances don’t back up words

When you had the luxury of a 250 run lead against South Africa on a 5th day track at the Wanderers, you did not pick up 4 wickets. On a spinning track at the Wankhede, Alistair Cook and Kevin Pietersen spanked you for centuries. Yet you stay defiant and do not admit to your mistakes.

There is also this point of keeping it simple or in other words getting your fundamentals right. A few months back at the Asia Cup, Ashwin rolled his sleeves up and tried to do an Ajmal.

“I want to do something different. I want to keep trying something - unless you try you don't go and venture and find out what can work or not," Ashwin said. "I'd never bowled in full-sleeves before [the Asia Cup]. So I wanted to see how it would feel. And I just wanted to see if you can get more revs on the ball, if you can do a little bit with your elbow, as much as [is allowed], that is. That's what it was all about. You can get a lot of advantage with these things. So why should I lag behind if someone else is getting a competitive edge?"

Anil Kumble didn’t do a Shane Warne to gain competitive edge. Neither did a Kapil Dev try to do a Malcolm Marshall! Everyone has their own strength and Ashwin himself proved that when he spun the ball big and hard against the Australians at home last year. That is what his long time coach Sunil Subramanian always advised him to do, but the poor guy got a public rebuttal from his pupil.

All is easier said than done, but reality is tough. That is why you play for India as a professional where others don’t get a chance. One just hopes that the thinking bowler that Ashwin is, he works on his game and his strengths. And he does not have to look too far. Until 2003-04, Anil Kumble had a tough time answering critics about his overseas performances. But come Australia, he turned it around with sheer determination and hard work to undo his poor overseas record.

That’s what India wants. Make no mistake about it, there are very few bowlers who do not get clobbered in T20 but if Ashwin wishes to make a mark for himself in Tests, he needs someone to tap him on his shoulder and tell him to talk less and work more.

The mantra is simple - Stay hungry.. stay humble!