Experts don't see first class cricket: Ashwin

Ravichandran Ashwin was at the Gurunanak college ground in Chennai on 18th August, practicing ahead of the Test series against New Zealand. Cricbuzz's Ganesh and Karthik caught up with him for a chat about spin bowling and the various challenges he faces ahead of the season.

K. You are the leader of the spin attack at such a young age. What kind of responsibilities do you shoulder?

A. I have not looked at it as any kind of responsibility. I have just enjoyed what came my way. I have never looked forward or looked back in my life. That is the same approach I take to my cricket as well. I think looking ahead for even just three months is a waste of time. I would rather focus on what's on hand.

G. What's on hand is that you are going to play the Tests against New Zealand.

A. That's right, what's on hand is say the two Tests against New Zealand. It is better to focus on the basics. I don't fix any numbers to what I have to achieve. Numbers always bring disappointments. I'm not saying it is always the case but at times it could supersede the team's requirements. You might want to get ten wickets but the requirement for that day might be to just bowl consistently well.

Basically I should be equipped to land the ball at one spot for the entire day. It could be about the release or just landing it at the right spot. That is what Test cricket is all about.

G. That brings us to the next question. You play all three formats of the game and have a number of variations. Some of them you use only inT20s....?

A.(interrupts) It's not that I use the variations only in those cases. It is about the scenario that brings it out. It is about how the ball leaves my hand on that particular day. Spin is all about (Pause)s.. It's like how you are interviewing me today, It depends on how the batsman is presenting himself, how I am feeling on that day, how I am able to toy with the batsman on that day. You don't get good control everyday but you have to live with that. It's like you don't get the best things to eat every day.

K. If we can go into that a little more in detail, in the IPL you had the round-arm delivery and you generated a lot of bounce from it. We didn't see you use that in the ODIs against Sri Lanka. Is it format specific or..

A. There are two sides to the coin for that. I bowl with different actions in T20s and ODIs. Certain things demand that. You said I did not bowl that ball in the ODIs but I actually did bowl it with a different action. For example, the delivery that got Thirimanne out at Premadasa was the same ball. It's about the wicket too. Chepauk has more bounce than most wickets in the sub-continent so it accentuates it even further. But definitely the usage of that delivery is lesser in an ODI game compared to a T20 game. The demands of bowling to a right hander brings that more into play.

G. So in Tests too, do you concentrate on a lot of variations?

A. See basically, that is not to be a round arm action but precisely that is a doosra. That's what I'll be focusing on doing in this series as well and try to bowl the doosra whenever I can. The basic difference between a doosra and a carom ball is the line. That's why I tried and developed this doosra.

K. There has been criticism that you tend to overuse these variations and that it is beginning to have a negative effect on your bowling. How do you react to it?

A. If it's about One day cricket or T20 cricket, whoever says that I wouldn't bother about it but if it's about Test cricket then the people who are saying this should have a closer look because in Test cricket I don't use these variations at all. If I'm not wrong I have got some 32 wickets in Tests but not a lot of them have come through these said variations. I do know that. I have played first class cricket and I'm not a brand of the IPL. It's all about perception you know. Experts don't see first class cricket.

G. In the next couple of years, India will be playing all of their Test cricket in spinner friendly conditions. Does that make your job easier or does it add a lot of pressure?

A. It works like this. India has always been dominated by spin because we have not had a great fast bowling tradition. I also do not think that the wickets are spin friendly any more. I have personally seen wickets in Chennai or Bangalore turning square when I was young, growing up watching Test cricket. That's not the case any more. It's not bowler friendly any more, it is more batsman friendly but that is how cricket is. You have got to take it in your stride but be there as the game prolongs. You have to learn from the greats like Anil Kumble. He always persisted and bowled on the flat wickets but got his say on the final day. That's how it will be and you will have to be very patient. Ten long Test matches will be a big challenge for me and everyone in the team.

G. You said these were batting friendly conditions and your batting has been improving over the last couple of years. What goals do you set for yourself if any batting wise?

A. As I said numbers are not what I set for myself. I have been working on a few things. My total focus has always been on growth. Whichever area it might be, I am looking to grow. I feel in batting you only have to make minor changes between formats whereas in bowling you have got to make much bigger changes. Test cricket will bring in a few more short balls into play. You have to be aware of it. Personally I'm very happy with the way I have handled short balls batting down the order. I haven't had too many problems. Probably yes, one or two shots here and there but I have not really succumbed to it. That's one area I have really worked hard at getting into international cricket. Now I am focusing on my frontfoot shots much more.

K. If you didn't know, VVS Laxman has just announced his retirement.

A. He already announced it? So he's not playing the Test?

K. Yes with immediate effect is what we are hearing.

A. He's a very special batsman. I'm not trying to be diplomatic. He's been one of my favourite batsmen from all over the world. Whenever there has been a demanding situation, he's played that knock. That's how I have tried to shape my career as well. Pressure also gets me going and to me, it's more important than performing in games with little consequence. In that aspect, I match a lot with him. I wish all the success in whatever he does in the future.

K. A word about Tamil Nadu cricket as well. It is the start of a long season..

A. I started playing first class cricket in 2005-06. When I started off it was more or less the same lot. I made my debut under Badrinath. Bala has come back into the side. Abhinav has come into the side. Vijay came along with me. The side has actually progressed. One thing you can use as an indicator for a good first class side is the number of players that stick on for a longer time. That has happened. The results are showing too. We played a couple of semi-finals and a couple of finals. Yes it is disappointing that we have not crossed the line but we have had a couple of trophies in One day cricket. I think if you look at international cricket and probably even the IPL, the Ranji Trophy is much tougher to win.

G. We were going to ask you that as well. With the emergence of the IPL, do you think that the Ranji Trophy has lost some of its importance in terms of selection to the national team.

A. That's precisely what I am saying. I am not someone who will shy away in this perspective. If I have an opinion, I have been very upfront about it. I still stand by what I said. I don't think the experts watch enough of first class cricket to actually judge the cricketers. If they are actually going to judge by the performances in the IPL, I don't want to get too deep into it. I don't think it is right. If Ranji trophy loses its sheen or fame then I think it is a real shame for Indian cricket. That is not the way forward. I'm very sure, the cricketers are aware of what the Ranji Trophy means to them and that it's the only way to come up.