Ashwin patiently waits in the wings

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http://www.espncricinfo.com/icc_cricket_worldcup2011/content/current/story/506785.html An hour or so after landing in Chennai, a local friend blessed with the wickedest of humour sent an sms greeting. It read, "Welcome to the land of Ravichandran Ashwin." In a few words, the message swept past a thousand or so years of history, culture, politics and Rajnikanth and went straight to the centre of India's steaming World Cup campaign. The Indian team's future in the tournament is largely not dependent on what happens in Sunday's match in Chennai against the West Indies (barring a few possibilities). Offspinner Ashwin's presence, or absence, in its bowling attack, though, may well indicate how India will head into the World Cup's knockout phase. In the course of the last month, without bowling a single over at the World Cup, Ashwin has gone from being one of those "promising" youngsters to a mythic figure, kept hidden from the public eye so that he can be unleashed on unsuspecting batsmen at the business end of the tournament and help India storm their way through to the title. Chepauk is where Ashwin will put on his cape and shoot into the stratosphere. That is, if the team decides to play him. The chances of that happening are increasing, like the humidity levels in Chennai. Chepauk is the most spin-friendly of Indian tracks in this World Cup and is expected to give India's slow bowlers the advantage of extra purchase and with it, help them to turn out their most confident performance of the tournament. Ashwin's "mental stability" and toughness have been so well-advertised by his captain that he is expected to turn up in his first World Cup match, take five wickets and strike fear. The one buffer in the midst of much overstatement is that Ashwin 's debut World Cup appearance itself may well happen on familiar ground, on his own 'land'. All 22 yards of it. From his first-class debut in December 2006, he has played a total of 15 matches (first class, List A, IPL, international) at Chepauk. He has bowled 470.1 overs for his 61 wickets at 21.50 (economy rate of 2.79, strike rate 46.20, five wickets in a match six times, ten wickets in a match twice.) The numbers are very good, but India v West Indies at a World Cup will be like none of those 15 matches. Ashwin's coach, Sunil Subramanian, is as baffled by his student's continued absence from the XI as the rest of the country, but he is not anxious about whether Ashwin can instantly switch on for what could be a big game on Sunday. "Ashwin has the mental framework of Ravi Shastri, Anil Kumble and Venky." (Whether combined or individual doesn't really matter.) The Venky being referred to is off spinner S Venkataraghavan, with whom Ashwin has been often been compared, not merely because they share a home town but also a resemblance of craft. Ashwin, however, is a bowler who has arrived and thrived in the most modern format of the game, Twenty20. His IPL team, the Chennai Super Kings, won the IPL and Champions League T20 double last season. Even though he belongs to the city that usually churns out more batting dashers and stylists, Ashwin went from being an opening batsman in his teenage years to concentrating on bowling, first medium pace and then offspin. The consistency and accuracy that is gold dust in the shortest version of the game came, Subramaniam says, from Ashwin's greed for improvement and his willingness to sweat. One of the practice tools the two men used at the TNCA Academy during their training is called The Grid, a 9ft long and 4.5ft wide fluorescent tape used to perfect spot bowling, where lengths and lines can be modified for a variety of conditions. Subramaniam was given the tape for a trial by former India spinner Nilesh Kulkarni, who has patented the practice tool that is meant to help both bowlers and wicket-keepers. Subramanian says Ashwin's success rate on The Grid is close to 80%. In a match the only variant is, of course, the minor matter of the batsman facing him. The success rate could go haywire then but in an interview with ESPNCricinfo, Ashwin spoke of enjoying the mental tussle that bowling involved. In the interview, one of the IPL dismissals he mentioned was that of a batsman he could run into should he play on Sunday - Chris Gayle. Subramaniam tells another story about Ashwin's appetite: after a Duleep Trophy final defeat to West Zone, in which he had bowled a total of 78 overs, and batted for over two hours on the fifth day, he turned up at practice the next afternoon and bowled another 100 balls at the Academy. No matter how effective Ashwin might or might not be in the World Cup, if he is called up on Sunday, he will at least be ready. India must only hope that they have not left it too late to use him, though Ashwin is used to waiting. In the Chennai Super Kings, he was understudy to Muthiah Muralitharan, and with India he has stepped in every time Harbhajan Singh has been unable to play. It has meant him six ODIs and four Twenty20s in less than a year and given the touring workload now charted out for the Indians over the 12 months, those numbers should increase.

[zubinpepsi]

Ashwin's "mental stability" and toughness have been so well-advertised by his captain that he is expected to turn up in his first World Cup match, take five wickets and strike fear.

:haha::haha:

[cowboysfan]

I feel sorry for ashwin,he should have got atleast one more game.If he fails then there is a good chance we will go back to our 3 trundlers(medium pacers) attack for the QFs.

[Karan114]

I feel sorry for ashwin' date='he should have got atleast one more game.If he fails then there is a good chance we will go back to our 3 trundlers(medium pacers) attack for the QFs.[/quote'] Its been a total **** up. Why the hell a mediocre bowler like Chawla was suddenly recalled from the wilderness is beyond me and now we have left Ashwin one game to show what he can do (and despite all that "mental toughness" talk, Ashwin is a young bowler inexperienced at the top level himself) or return to a flawed strategy.

[Brainfade]

Its been a total **** up. Why the hell a mediocre bowler like Chawla was suddenly recalled from the wilderness is beyond me and now we have left Ashwin one game to show what he can do (and despite all that "mental toughness" talk' date=' Ashwin is a young bowler inexperienced at the top level himself) or return to a flawed strategy.[/quote'] While one may question Chawla's inclusion in the 15, the logic for playing him in the 11 is clear from Dhoni's point of view - Variety and balance: We have 1.5 offies in the team already, and including another one is pointless. Add to that the rationale that a leggie would have an advantage against predominantly RHB line-ups, and the premise is solid. That Chawla has underperformed does not take away from the premise of playing him. Now that he has underperformed in 3 straight matches makes it harder on Dhoni - he has to sacrifice variety for performance. Hope it works.

[vvvslaxman]

While one may question Chawla's inclusion in the 15' date=' the logic for playing him in the 11 is clear from Dhoni's point of view - Variety and balance: We have 1.5 offies in the team already, and including another one is pointless. Add to that the rationale that a leggie would have an advantage against predominantly RHB line-ups, and the premise is solid. That Chawla has underperformed does not take away from the premise of playing him. Now that he has underperformed in 3 straight matches makes it harder on Dhoni - he has to sacrifice variety for performance. Hope it works.[/quote'] Yea.. we will miss a variety fro sure. It is always useful to have "Right arm crap".

[ghost]

If Dhoni has his way, Ashwin will keep waiting !

[anbuchelvan]

Dhoni is egoist and will not play Ashwain because every body want him to play.

[Karan114]

While one may question Chawla's inclusion in the 15' date=' the logic for playing him in the 11 is clear from Dhoni's point of view - Variety and balance: We have 1.5 offies in the team already, and including another one is pointless. Add to that the rationale that a leggie would have an advantage against predominantly RHB line-ups, and the premise is solid. That Chawla has underperformed does not take away from the premise of playing him. Now that he has underperformed in 3 straight matches makes it harder on Dhoni - he has to sacrifice variety for performance. Hope it works.[/quote'] So did this need for "variety" dawn suddenly upon them? Why wasn't Chawla tested in one of the million ODIs we play instead of being plucked out of nowhere after three years for the biggest and most important ODI tournament? And the premise you state would be "solid" if Chawla was a genuinely good leg spinner. He is mediocre, always has been. If a team has three good right arm seamers and a poor left arm seamer, will it sacrifice one of the right armers just for the sake of variety?

[ghost]

So did this need for "variety" dawn suddenly upon them? Why wasn't Chawla tested in one of the million ODIs we play instead of being plucked out of nowhere after three years for the biggest and most important ODI tournament? And the premise you state would be "solid" if Chawla was a genuinely good leg spinner. He is mediocre, always has been. If a team has three good right arm seamers and a poor left arm seamer, will it sacrifice one of the right armers just for the sake of variety?

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[Fontaine]

I can't believe people are complaining about the one combination the team hasn't tried yet. We've only played 5 matches and the team has tried all the combinations except Ashwin yet (who'll play against the WI) yet there are still some who incessantly complain.

[vvvslaxman]

No kidding :cantstop:

[Praveen M]

but k.srikanth has talked to dhoni about this matter:nervous:

[Praveen M]

I can't believe people are complaining about the one combination the team hasn't tried yet. We've only played 5 matches and the team has tried all the combinations except Ashwin yet (who'll play against the WI) yet there are still some who incessantly complain.

but he is great bowler at power plays and slog overs. he deserve's a chance than others:band:

[jaggadaku]

While one may question Chawla's inclusion in the 15' date=' the logic for playing him in the 11 is clear from Dhoni's point of view - Variety and balance: We have 1.5 offies in the team already, and including another one is pointless. Add to that the rationale that a leggie would have an advantage against predominantly RHB line-ups, and the premise is solid. That Chawla has underperformed does not take away from the premise of playing him. Now that he has underperformed in 3 straight matches makes it harder on Dhoni - he has to sacrifice variety for performance. Hope it works.[/quote'] I don't buy this variety thing and pathan can't be consider a offie since he hardly spins and if England can play two offies why can't India

[someone]

I feel sorry for ashwin' date='he should have got atleast one more game.If he fails then there is a good chance we will go back to our 3 trundlers(medium pacers) attack for the QFs.[/quote'] That is rubbish, If you are good, you have to take your ALL chances which can be one to many . Already excuses have begun!!!!!

[vvvslaxman]

That is rubbish, If you are good, you have to take your ALL chances which can be one to many . Already excuses have begun!!!!!

Like Piyush. don't worry Ashwin will not be remotely crappy like Piyush. Infact nobody can be.

[maniac]

I don't get the Ashwin love on these boards...Agreed Chawla is mediocre but what are Ashwin's credentials at an international stage that we feel he is going to make the difference for us. Ashwin should have got atleast 1 game against the minnows.Right now he is our only option left in the bowling department and no way he is the saviour of our pathetic bowling attack as some of us have been making him out to be.

[vvvslaxman]

Question: I don't get the Ashwin love on these boards...Agreed Chawla is mediocre but what are Ashwin's credentials at an international stage that we feel he is going to make the difference for us. Ashwin should have got atleast 1 game against the minnows.Answer: Right now he is our only option left in the bowling department and no way he is the saviour of our pathetic bowling attack as some of us have been making him out to be.

[ghost]

LOL, nice one @vvslaxman....... maniac316 answered his own question !