INDIA OFFIE Ravichandran Ashwin rued not having the opportunity to play for Chennai Super Kings. While he reckoned that he owned the space in Chepauk, the veteran bowler stated that he will be motivated to play against CSK in the upcoming IPL edition.
Ashwin, who had played for CSK for the initial eight seasons, was bought by Kings XI Punjab for a whopping Rs 7.6 cr. In an interview with ESPNCricInfo, Ashwin said,
“I was a tad disappointed because I have been here for the last ten years. Literally, I have owned that space around Chepauk. Every time I came on to bowl, the kind of roaring and cheering I got will always stick on to my head. Coming back there, to play against CSK, will probably motivate me more.”
The Chennai-lad stated that he is building his bowling armoury ahead of the IPL season 11.
“This is part of my plan going into the IPL. I am just trying to build my armoury. I used to bowl good leg-breaks with my off-spin action when I was playing league cricket in Chennai. Over a period of time, in a search to get my stock ball right, I obviously had to cut out a lot of those things. I had possessed a lot more variations. Having bowled off-break as the stock ball for almost 10 years, trying to change things around is challenging. But I don’t really settle for anything. At no point in my career, I thought ‘this is it’ and decided to settle for the rest of my career.”
Ashwin also divulged that he has been working on his bowling action under the guidance of former India paceman Lakshmipathy Balaji.
“As of now everything is cooked by me. I try to take feedback from our coaches in my academy. L Balaji has been of great help. First time I was bowling leg-spin, we were working on some actions on how to gain momentum. How I can make a repeatable action work for me. For example, my arm doesn’t go 45 degrees which is perfect for a leg spinner. I am more upright. I have to adjust my action. It has been a painful ride. One day it will come out well in the nets, and the next day it won’t come out all right. It will be frustrating. I have gone through the entire journey and have reached a place where I can land the ball where I want to.”