Irrespective of the format, an all-rounder in cricket is always a big asset to his team and more so in a Test match as it always has the potential to go the distance in case the game ends on the fifth day. Of late India, in particular, has always been on the lookout for a decent all-rounder who could genuinely deliver on all accounts and live-up to his reputation. In Ravichandran Ashwin, India has definitely discovered a genuine spinner who has now blossomed into a capable and effective batsman. Not only has the Chennai tweaker proved his mettle with the ball, delivering some enthralling performances first with the bat in the Antigua Test against the West Indies in the ongoing series, which saw India go one-up “ thanks to Ashwin s overall third ton against the men from Caribbean “ and then in the second innings he did knock the Windies down with a stunning spell of spin bowling which yielded the gangly offie figures of 7for 83 - which are the best by an Indian bowler in the West Indies. In the process he bettered Subhash Gupte s figures of 7 for 162 at Port of Spain in 1952-53. Undoubtedly, Ashwin vindicated skipper Virat Kohli s plan to go with five bowlers while expecting “Ashwin the all-rounder” to churn out a match-winning performance on all counts. After all, Ashwin also justified his promotion in the batting order in the opening Test, where the team s think-tank made a prudent move in pushing him up at No 6 ahead of wicketkeeper batsman Wriddhiman Saha. New coach Anil Kumble saw in Ashwin a potential match-winner s spark and the spinner made the most of his opportunities. The match-winning performance in Antigua notwithstanding, where India recorded a massive innings victory by 92 runs, its biggest outside Asia, Ashwin continued his good form even in the ongoing second Test at Kingston, Jamaica where he rolled over the hosts with a five-for (5/52) thus stretching his career five-wicket haul to a stunning 18. Undoubtedly, Ashwin s new-found form is good news for Indian cricket as it has certainly allowed the Men in Blue rediscover their long lost touch of winning abroad. The fact that spin legend Muralitharan has already rated Ashwin as the world s best spinner will certainly boost his confidence. Also with legendary all-rounder Kapil Dev claiming that the 29-year-old has even surpassed the feats achieved by English all-rounder Ian Botham, comes as a timely recognition.
Spinning success
Days of glory for Ashwin, but the all-rounder has a long road ahead
