Exhibit 1: From around the wicket and close to the stumps, Ravichandran Ashwin made one skid off the surface. Ben Duckett played for the turn and missed the ball to be adjudged leg-before. His previous two balls to Duckett in that over had been a touch fuller, slower through the air, with a bit of drift and turn. The one that fetched the wicket deceived the batsman. For the 246th time in Test cricket, he had dismissed a left-hand batter, at a mind-boggling average of 19.27.
Exhibit 2: Ashwin, once again from around the wicket and this time a tad wide of the crease, bowled an off-break to Ben Stokes. England’s captain was beaten in the air and off the pitch, and his attempted drive resulted in a big edge. Just that wicketkeeper KS Bharat dropped the catch. It was a tough chance all right, but catchable. Bharat’s glovework had been excellent throughout England’s first innings and it was a rare blemish. As for Ashwin, he had accounted for Stokes 11 times in Tests before this game. It could have been No. 12.
What makes Ashwin so successful against left-hand batters? The answer is simple; like in the case of Duckett and Stokes, he always brings both edges into play. He can bring the ball into a left-hand batter with different variations and challenge the inside edge, while his stock delivery takes the ball away from them and probes the outside edge. Also, he is very comfortable bowling round the wicket and working with the altered angle. Not many spinners enjoy doing that, as the changed angle makes them edgy. Ashwin is as smooth as silk.
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Back to Duckett, and he sort of pre-empted his struggle against Ashwin. “I wasn’t the last left-hander to struggle out there in those conditions against Ashwin,” Duckett told Sky Sports podcast earlier this month. “He is so good everywhere. I’m sure he is going to get me out again, he is a world-class bowler.”
The interesting part is that the majority of the England batters, the left-hand ones to be precise, are now aware of the challenges they would face against Ashwin. Like the Duckett said: “But I would back myself now on a good pitch or a flatter pitch to not feel like I have to play aggressive shots or sweep every ball.” And yet, they fail to offer a counter-ploy. Not having a strong defensive technique might be a reason. Also, as Javed Miandad, former Pakistan captain, pointed out in an interview with RevSportz a few days ago, England’s batters got done in by their inability to read the ball out of the hand. They play it off the deck instead.
Ashwin was India’s standout bowler on the first day of the first Test. It was fascinating to see how he spun a psychological web around the batsmen. Almost every ball looked at a bigger picture, as if a wider plan was set. The 37-year-old Ashwin returned with 3-68 from 21 overs on a strip that assisted turn but hardly looked treacherous. In the process, the master off-spinner took his Test tally to 493 scalps.
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