Five reasons why Ravichandran Ashwin bowled so many variations in the second ODI against West Indies

Anyone who saw the second ODI between West Indies and India would certainly have had plenty of questions. One of the main queries that is likely to be on everyone’s lips is what has Ravichandran Ashwin transformed himself into.

Anyone who saw him bowl for the first time would probably attest to him being a leg spinner and not an off-spinner, such was the frequency with which he was bowling leg breaks. Has he evolved to such an extent that he now has to be classified as a right-arm spinner and not be too bothered about being classified as an offie or a leggie? Why did he try so much variations, leg spinners, carrom balls in the second ODI that India won so comfortably?

Is this the next stage in his evolution or just a one-off? Whatever the reasons maybe one thing that can’t be denied is the fact that he bowled plenty of variations. And here’s a look at five reasons why Ashwin bowled so many variations in the second ODI against West Indies:

Evolve as a spinner

If there is one thing that Ravichandran Ashwin has consistently done throughout the course of his career, apart from taking wickets, it is evolving as a bowler. Whether it is coming up with new deliveries that befuddle the batsmen or just subtle variations in his action that is meant to lull the batsmen into a false sense of security, Ashwin has always evolved and adapted himself to the ever-changing ways of modern cricket.

While some of those evolutions might be termed as unnecessary, there is no doubt that Ashwin is always trying new things in a bid to remain relevant in the Indian limited-overs side. And the introduction of a leg break to along with his stock deliveries and his carrom ball might just be a natural way of his evolution.

If his success in the longest format of the game is based on his consistency and ability to nail his stock deliveries, in the shorter formats he has always shown that he is ready to adapt and evolve. Whether it was his carrom ball or his more recent trend of bowling leg breaks, which was evident in the Champions Trophy, the 30-year-old is showing that he isn’t going to get left behind.

Composition of opposition

This might have been a ploy devised just for this batting line-up

It goes without saying that due to the angle that they create, off-spinners generally prefer bowling to left-handed batsmen. And Ravichandran Ashwin is no different in that regard. Among the batsmen he has dismissed the most in ODIs, three of the top four are left-handers with Lahiru Thirimanne being the only batsman he has dismissed six times in ODIs.

So while this is an era of big bats and small grounds, little things like this do make a difference. West Indies only had three left-handers in their top eight and the 30-year-old might have had a look at that and decided to experiment to ensure that he still remains effective even if there aren’t a lot of left-handers in the line-up.

Against right-handers, Ashwin isn’t as effective and that might have been a major contributing factor in his decision to bowl a lot of variations, especially considering the plethora of right-handers that the Windies had in their batting line-up.

Trying variations at international arena

Throughout his career, if there is one thing that Ashwin has tried, it is to remain relevant by doing different things. Having variations is one thing and executing them in a match scenario is completely different. And this series against West Indies gives him the perfect platform to test various variations.

Not only is it is an international match but he also some explosive hitters that can clobber in the side so it is more of a test that some may think after the second ODI at Port of Spain. Trying his variations against an international side, away from home on conditions that aren’t exactly bowler-friendly is the ideal scenario for him to develop as a spinner and continue to remain in the scheme of things in the shorter formats.

While he did try a few variations during the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 as well, it wasn’t as frequent as it was in the second ODI and with an ideal platform to try new things, Ashwin is doing his best to ensure that when in it comes to high-pressure situations, he has all the weapons in his arsenal to contribute with the ball.

Improve in flat tracks

Ashwin has struggled to remain effective on batting-friendly conditions

If there is one criticism of Ashwin it is that he doesn’t affect the game as much in tracks that aren’t conducive to spin bowling. In the longest format of the game, despite all his success, his record outside Asia still isn’t great. While that isn’t always the case in ODIs where he has shown he can deliver in England and Australia, he still isn’t as effective on flat tracks.

As was the case in the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 final against Pakistan, which was a road, that offered nothing for the spinners, Ashwin simply couldn’t make much of an impact. While finger spinners in general aren’t as effective on tracks that don’t offer too much spin, wrist spinners aren’t as reliant on conditions.

That is perhaps one of the reasons why Ashwin was trying more leg breaks and variations as that might help him remain relevant on roads. With limited-overs cricket increasingly being played on flat tracks, it would certainly help his cause and the team’s as well, if he can play well on flat tracks.

Ensuring his place in the side

Kuldeep Yadav has got off to a strong start and he isn’t the only competition for Ashwin

Although Ravichandran Ashwin played in the latter stages of the Champions Trophy, he was benched for the first two games of the tournament. He has only played 10 ODIs since the start of 2016 and it is pretty clear that while he is still a world-class spinner, he isn’t India’s No.1 spinner in ODIs and T20Is as he is in Tests.

Kuldeep Yadav, had a memorable start to his ODI career while leg spinners, Yuzvendra Chahal and Amit Mishra have also shown themselves to be incredibly effective in the international arena. With plenty of uncertainty surrounding his long-term place in the side, perhaps the addition of variations is a bid to ensure his place in the side.

If India are to play just one spinner, there is no guarantee that Ashwin will be that bowler. However, if he can show that he has variations that make him effective against every batting line-up and every condition, that might just guarantee his spot in the side and perhaps that is the primary reason behind the incredible amount of variations that he bowled in the second ODI against West Indies.