I was bowling reverse carrom during last IPL: Ravichandran Ashwin
Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin believes he has a lot more to offer in the limited-overs format, besides Test cricket. In the latest episode of ESPNcricinfo Videocast, the 33-year-old opened up on the variations he has been using lately. Ashwin asserted he was able to execute the reverse form of carrom ball during the 2019 IPL edition. Here is more.
Ashwin, who was earlier a mainstay spinner across formats, has been out of contention in the limited-overs format of late. Notably, he played his last T20I in 2017 (against West Indies). However, Ashwin still spearheads the spin bowling attack in the longest format for India. He snapped up 15 wickets from 14 IPL games at an average of 26.67, in 2019.
"I am really surprised that in the last IPL people could not pick up what I was bowling. They thought I was bowling the carrom ball, but I was bowling reverse carrom. Sometimes it can spin, sometimes I could get it to skid," Ashwin said.
Over the years, Ashwin has come up with quite a few variations in T20 cricket. His famous "ball of the century" to Hashim Amla in the 2014 World T20 is a testimony. "Imagine if someone can dish out unpredictable stuff in a very aware manner. That's why I found myself in extreme control last year when I was bowling in Mohali," he stated.
Ashwin describes how he uses his variations to deceive the batsmen. "I generally like to use the arm ball in first few overs as it forces him to go across the line," he said. He added, "The others are floaters that swing, the one that pitches in and goes out or the other one that lands on the seam and goes the other way."
For bowling carrom ball, the ball must be held between the thumb, forefinger and the middle finger. Instead of a conventional release, the bowler flicks the ball like a carrom striker. In this case, the ball moves away from the right-handed batsman.
