Ashwin underlines batting potential

[yoda]

He needs to become a better bowler with more turn and spin, but his batting has been massive.

[Crookbond]

I am quite worried about Ashwin's bowling and his off spinner in particular. I saw the seam of his off spinner and it was pointin towards point rather than first slip. He looked more a spinner from England than India. Yes, he took wickets but I don't like the look of his bowls gone bit.

[vvvslaxman]

Yeah any all rounder has to come in at 6 and rock it (not talking about keeper batsmen hey gilchrist walked in at no.7). Any lower than that: 1. He is not a genuine allrounder (i.e. one who can change the course of a match both with the bat and ball - regularly) OR 2. Hes blocking a genuine bowling spot and making it difficult to pick up 20 wickets - regularly. Or the game has changed.

You cannot decide based on spots. You have to decided on what he does.Vettori also comes low down the order. He is very close to becoming the fastest Indian to get 100 wickets. Also he averages 41 with 2 centuries. May not be in the class of Kapil but certainly in the class of Vettori. As long as he doesn't go Ravi Shastri way i am fine.

[vvvslaxman]

M afraid he shouldn't go the irfan pathan bhajji way. Not focusing as much on helping the team pick up 20 wickets - we sure didn't do that all that much the last couple of years.

20 wickets? He picked 5 wickets.. what more you want? Last series he was man of the series. Totally 3 man of the series awards.

[vvvslaxman]

I want him to start picking wickets a bit more vs. eng at home for starters. We will take it from there vs. running through half cooked windies squads.

England is not be all end all.. He got a bit unlucky against England .Also they were in almost peak form when they got here. Having exposed to guys like Ajmal, Herath they were well prepared. Anyone who doesn't shine against England won't automatically become a bad bowler. If it were upto you would have dropped him after England series. Ashwin would not have been there against Australia. So give him some time. He did make some changes to his action after England series. He stopped doing experiment.

[vvvslaxman]

To be sure how many wickets did he pick in 4 matches 14 is it - that's a terrible series for your 'champion' spinner at home. If hes no longer ur champion spinner i see no reason why either he shouldn't be chucked out or shouldn't look to improve his bowling.

champion batsmen fail series after series and still play.. But a spinner didn't shine as well in one series you chuck him out. Nice attitude to boost his confidence.

[vvvslaxman]

Yes and m sure u have a crystal ball making 100% predictions and forbid anyone else shouldn't question the validity of the piece of machinery that u got going at ur end. At least i do not indulge in making it personal - u sure u want to go this way - hey u r the mod or are there more of u fellows?

WTF!!

[vvvslaxman]

There is no way in hell Dhoni even remotely contemplate about dropping Ashwin atleast at this point which is the right call. That is what matters. Even Ojha deserves a bit of run. But Jadeja with same ability and added bonus of batting and fielding would edge past him. This is where Ojha has to develop himself into a "GOTO" bowler to stand out from the pack. He has one more chance to have a crack at it. For overseas we need a wrist spinner.

[adi B]

india will not and should not drop ashwin from tests,his batting gives us extra confidence in dicey situations..his bowling is good in home test matches but away test matches is a different cup of tea all together..he will play in safrica and we`ll know how he bowls on hard tracks for spinners,we dont have better spinners than him at least for home matches

[vvvslaxman]

So that ends the discussion then right.

Absolutely. If they jot down the team Ashwin will figure somewhere near the top of the list. Coming in at 8, showing such composure and calmness like a specialist batsman will not be punished because he did not do well two series back. Once Jadeja is back , Ojha will be the one who will lose his spot.

[jusarrived]

His technique is better than some of the top order batsmen...wont be surprised if he moves up the order in couple of years

[vvvslaxman]

http://www.thehindu.com/sport/cricket/ashwins-versatility-makes-him-an-asset/article5335909.ece Ashwin’s versatility makes him an asset Is he the all-rounder that Indian cricket has been yearning for? It is still early days, but R. Ashwin looks quite promising. For skipper M.S. Dhoni, the absence of Ravindra Jadeja in the first Test against the West Indies was a matter of grave concern on the eve of the match. But Ashwin took on the mantle and delivered in style, scoring a century and getting five wickets for the match; no Indian cricketer has achieved that double twice. Kapil Dev has done it once. Modern cricket demands that each player stand up to be counted, and this has led to a realisation that even the No.11 has to chip in with the bat. The focus is on making the bowlers perform a batsman’s job if the need arises adds to the strength of the team. Ashwin’s has been a tale of grabbing the opportunities whenever they have come his way. It was as a batsman that he made an early impression. He still has the mindset of a batsman but fancies himself as a frontline bowler — a spinner who explores traditional avenues to snare his victims. True, he has added the carrom ball to his armoury, but Ashwin is an off-spinner who believes in setting up the batsman. ‘Can still improve’ His coach, Sunil Subramanian, is convinced that Ashwin has the ability to improve hugely. “I have told him that he’ll end up opening the batting for India,” says Sunil of his protégé. Ashwin made news as a batsman of immense potential in age-group cricket in Chennai, scoring close to 25 centuries as an opener. “His early success was as a batsman, and he was ready by the time he came to be recognised for state selection,” Sunil recalls. “He always had ample time to play the ball.” Ashwin’s relaxed demeanour when dealing with tough situations even at the junior level was always impressive. In the Kolkata Test, he walked in at 156 for six. But, there was no trace of anxiety. He got into the act with alacrity, a few sweetly timed shots indicating his form, and soon things were back in control. Ashwin was holding his own alongside ohit Sharma, hardly looking like a No.8. Ashwin does not allow the situation to get to him, a sign that India coach Duncan Fletcher is succeeding in implementing his ideas of getting the tail-enders to understand their role. Fletcher has worked tirelessly with the lower-order batsman, preparing them to add depth to the team’s batting. It took an effort to convert Ashwin into a bowler in age-group cricket. The coaches saw a huge advantage in his height because it enabled him to extract bounce. But, then, he always had this gift of timing when batting. “His bowling is a nice mix of turn and bounce. He is not a one-dimensional bowler. His trajectory is his forte, and I like the way he explored the angle from round the stumps. He may not look a natural athlete, but his cricketing skills are far superior to many,” avers Sunil. Last season, he struggled with his approach, and his left leg position as he tinkered with his “loading” and tried too hard. Too much T20 had impacted his bowling. He loves the off-stump line of attack, reads the game very well, and has begun to execute his skills. The expectations are bound to grow. It is believed Ashwin can be the ‘floater’ in the XI, available to bat at any position. As for Sunil, he sets his Ashwin a new challenge. “I want him to get runs outside India,” he says.

[vvvslaxman]

No wonder he has the technique of a proper batsman. Still translating that school level potential into a success at the international level is quiet an achievement.

[Old guy]

Every one ignored one most mentioning seam position in this thread and imo it's worrying Sign :nervous: He is still easily our best spinner ..

[maniac]

Aswin looks more assured against Pace than some of our top order bats...Definetely he is naturally gifted,but his batting should always be a bonus and he should consider it the same.

[Detonator]

^ u have any alternatives? pls name them.

[Old guy]

^ u have any alternatives? pls name them.

none..he is easily best spinner for test in this country now with batting he might be most valuable cricketer right now for india in tests :giggle:

[Detonator]

none..he is easily best spinner for test in this country now with batting he might be most valuable cricketer right now for india in tests :giggle:

Yep.. I think someone wanted bhajji back :giggle: it's understandable that many ppl feel that he might fail in overseas, but we don't have any choice but to persist with ashwin.

[Cricketics]

Yep.. I think someone wanted bhajji back :giggle: it's understandable that many ppl feel that he might fail in overseas, but we don't have any choice but to persist with ashwin.

Ashwin is best in Indian for sure. I never doubt that, I just beleive it's good to have Bhajji back in squad when we tour overseas. If he is looking pretty dull, we can always try Bhajji.

[Detonator]

Ashwin is best in Indian for sure. I never doubt that' date=' I just beleive it's good to have Bhajji back in squad when we tour overseas. If he is looking pretty dull, we can always try Bhajji.[/quote'] Bhajji's SA experiance is will be valuable. His 7 wicket haul evaded a series defeat in SA. But I m not sure whether dhoni will pick 2 spinners, unless he decides to promore ashwin to no.7. It might be a masterstroke or backfire terribly :((