Ravichandran Ashwin: The silent workhorse for India

He is an emerging cricketer from South India, and is loved by everyone – the team-mates, manager, staff, and millions of fans. He is cool and contented, and his temperament is reminiscent of the veteran Anil Kumble.

He has a smiling, innocent face, he is hardworking; Ravichandran Ashwin, commonly known as R Ashwin, is the new rising star.

He is a very versatile bowler with a lot of variation. He is always able to draw attention because of the way he carries himself and shows his talent. He had played his first Test against West Indies in the year 2011. Also, he is one of the most dependable players for Chennai Super Kings in IPL.

Interestingly, his father was also a cricketer who played locally in Tamil Nadu. Likewise, in his earlier days, Ashwin also played for Tamil Nadu in the domestic circuit. Ashwin came into prominence in the year 2010 when he was able to win the player of the tournament and golden wicket award in the Champions League while playing for Chennai Super Kings.

Ashwin’s notable achievement was in IPL season 5 when he got stalwart Chris Gayle out, which eventually led to CSK winning that edition of the tournament. It’s a great sight to watch Ashwin play as he never loses his temper and stays calm even when he is not getting the desired results. He has proved to be an excellent fielder, and a brilliant catch by Ashwin just a few days ago is still fresh in the memory of most of the fans.

Many of his supporters consider him to be an all-rounder, but he should be nourished as a prime bowler who also contributes as a lower-order batsman. A divided focus on improving his batting, as well as constantly working on his bowling, may not prove to be a gainful proposition.

Ashwin has got fifty wickets in the year 2012, with a reasonably good average of 29. His T20 career began in 2010 against Sri Lanka, where he scored 38 runs. His ODI career debut was in the 2011 World Cup against West Indies where he took two wickets and conceded only 41 runs. He performed well against Australia as well, and his bowling scorecard read 10-1-52-2.

Now on to his batting. From the year 2011 till date, he has scored just three half centuries and one century. An astonishing fact about these innings is that India lost all of the above matches. This may be just a coincidence, but is also one of the reasons he should continue focusing on his bowling more. Despite the fact that he is one of the only three Indian cricketers to make 100 runs and get five wickets in an innings in the same Test match, he should concentrate on bowling only. Ashwin also managed to win the Man of the Match award on his Test debut.

So keeping in mind that he will be completing 27 years of age in September 2013, it would be to Ashwin’s benefit that he sticks to bowling for a long period of time. Whatever the case may be, it is always a delight to see him performing. May he have a very bright future and a fun-filled career.