Ravichandran Ashwin's Months of Hard Work Paying Off in Cricket World Cup

Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin converted months of practice and hard work into his career-best bowling figures of 4/25 against the United Arab Emirates at the Cricket World Cup 2015 in Perth on Monday. (Complete World Cup 2015 coverage | Points Table | History | Stats)

 

"I've put in a lot of effort on my wrist position in the last few months. My wrist is getting into a good position, and that helps with the arm ball, the breeze helped as well," said a visibly-delighted Ashwin after picking up the man-of-the-match award.

 

Ashwin relied on his variation and utilised the extra bounce on the WACA wicket to bamboozle the UAE batsmen after they opted to bat first. (MS Dhoni happy with India's all-round show vs UAE)

 

While the pacers - Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Umesh Yadav - put the UAE batsmen on the back foot, it was Ashwin's menacing spell that constantly kept them at bay. Playing against an opposition relatively weaker than the rest in Pool B, Ashwin had the liberty to try out a few things and that worked well for the wily spinner.

 

"If you set the batsman well, mixing up the arm ball, and then you bowl one really slow, you are going to get him fending it and leg slip comes into play," Ashwin said, in a post-match chat on STAR Sports.

Perth has been a happy hunting ground for Ashwin, where he has put in two match-winning performances in as many games. He, however, has worked extremely hard for this achievement.

 

"While bowling in Australia, you need to get your length right or else you will tend to concede a lot of runs. I have worked very hard on that aspect in the past few months," he said.

 

Former India skipper Sunil Gavaskar was all-praise for the 28-year-old spinner from Tamil Nadu.

 

"Ashwin was tossing the ball up well and getting the ball to turn. He looked very relaxed and impressive," Gavaskar said.

 

After a woeful tri-series ahead of the World Cup, Team India seem to have turned the tide and look like world champions again. With three wins on-the-trot, complacency could be the only bane for this team at the moment.

 

Their next challenge is against the wounded West Indies in Perth on Friday. Will India stutter against the West Indian pace attack? Or will Ashwin aim to go one step further and claim his first-ever five-wicket haul?