How Ashwin changed his batting fortunes during off-season

It is not very often that an Indian cricketer comes out at a press conference, speaking in detail about the ups and downs of their own game. But Ravichandran Ashwin is no just 'an' Indian cricketer, having seen great success both with the bat and the ball. The latest of his achievements was a critical century for the Men in Blue after they found themselves in a spot of bother at 144/6 against Bangladesh in first Test at Chennai. 

However, a 199-run partnership between him and Ravindra Jadeja completely changed the complexion of the game, putting the visitors under severe pressure. While Ashwin ended up with 113, his batting partner Jadeja fell narrowly short by 14 runs of a well-deserved century. 

In the aftermath of a chaotic day of Test cricket, during which 17 wickets fell, a new record at Chepauk on a single day, the all-rounder spoke of the need to compartmentalize batting and bowling as two different sports. 

"Like I said, in the past, the thing is I have explained this again and again... bowling and batting are very separate sports in the same game. One is done consciously. Other one is done subconsciously. So, for me to compartmentalize both has taken its own toll,” Ashwin said at the post-match presentation. 

“At this stage, I am able to sequence that and split both of them and see as a cricketer. So, when I walked there, the only one thing I wanted to do was settle down [in] my game.”

Ashwin’s batting has evolved over the years, but he showed excellent commitment earlier to improving it further when he scored 252 runs @152 SR for the Dindigul Dragons in the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) 2024. In that tournament, the 38-year-old showed great hunger, to the point that he trained exclusively prior to the competition to master the reverse sweep. 

"I [had] played some cricket leading up to it [TNPL]. Of course, it was a different format. Put a lot of work into different aspects of my game. But the one thing I keep telling myself now is to actually watch that ball real hard,” he said. 

"The mind can play tricks because I am a bowler who plays on 12, 18, 24 balls ahead when I am sequencing it. As a batter, I shouldn't do that. I just use my experience when I get in. So, now it's more about just focusing on the ball and hitting it as I see it."

Chepauk has now become a happy batting ground for Ashwin, with two of his six Test centuries coming at the venue. While the 2021 one against England was vital, considering his own place in the Indian setup, the 2024 one only enunciates his batting prowess. 

"Both. [The England Test] had so much riding on it. We lost the first one and came to the second. Last time when I played at Chennai, I felt like I was making sort of a comeback in more than one way. I was a little here and there. I went to Australia and came back here [uncertain of my place]. That was different and I enjoyed it.

"I think my batting has come along a lot better since that particular game. I worked quite a lot on how I can maximise my shots, maximise my game. I worked on how I can play fast bowling and all that sort of stuff. I'm glad it's coming out nicely."

Ashwin’s partnership with Jadeja is quite well-known, but with the ball. However, during their 199-run stand with the willow, the duo showed great awareness, picking and choosing the right bowlers to attack during their stay. 

"It's happened. You don't plan for such things. Jaddu is one cricketer who has evolved so nicely. I always envy him. I have made that amply clear. He's so gifted, so talented. He has found ways to maximize his potential.

"He keeps it really simple. He can repeat it day in and day out.I wish I could be him but I am glad I am myself. He is an exceptionally good cricketer. I am happy for him. Likewise, in so many ways, watching him bat over the last couple of years has given me insight on how better I can be. Both of us have grown together. Both of us have done some special things. We really value one another at this stage. Both of us are enjoying each other's success more than ever before."

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