Ravichandran Ashwin’s variations have been pivotal to his 507 wickets in only 99 Test appearances so far. But his carrom ball, top-spinner, arm ball and the likes aside, a standout feature of the senior India off-spinner’s bowling is his discipline, feels Saeed Ajmal, Pakistan’s erstwhile master of the craft.
For a bowler to last long in international cricket, he does need to make a few changes and evolve. Ashwin, too, has made a few changes since his debut (back in 2010). For instance, his action looks different than what it used to be in his early days.
“Taking more than 350 wickets in India itself shows kitni zabardast bowling ki usne (how brilliantly he has bowled) at home. If we talk of his carrom ball, maintaining the line and length matters when bowling that delivery, which Ashwin does well.
We know Indian tracks are spin-friendly, but to take wickets there, disciplined bowling is a must. And Ashwin has been extraordinary in that,” the 46-year-old Ajmal, who took 178 wickets from only 35 Tests, told The Telegraph from Lahore on Tuesday.