Perhaps, the most striking thing about Ravichandran Ashwin standing aloft with the match ball—for the 37th time if you’d lost count—was how inevitable it felt at 10.00 AM. Ashwin began bowling a little after 10.30, and the anticipation was palpable. A lot of great cricketers exude a sense that a century or a five-wicket haul is inevitable when they are playing. Batters have confidence shots, which when they play early, send a coded message of impending dominance. Bowlers may convey that with their first couple of overs, and Ashwin is a master at this art.
Even before he gets into a spell, Ashwin sometimes permeates this feeling of inevitability. Many match itineraries have been adjusted over the last 13 years in the knowledge that he was to bowl in the fourth innings. This was once again demonstrated on the fourth morning of the Chennai Test, where the pitch offered consistent and spitting turn off the footmarks.
Ashwin wasn’t called on to bowl until after the drinks break in the first session. Yet, it was hard to miss him on the field. As a dogged partnership between captain Najmul Hossain Shanto and veteran Shakib Al Hasan developed, Ashwin could be seen mouthing suggestions to Rohit Sharma or animatedly running through field settings with Ravindra Jadeja even when neither of them was actually bowling.
The first hour felt like a prelude, a tease before the Ashwin takeover. When he finally did take the ball, it took him only four deliveries and a smart placement of the short-leg fielder slightly behind the left-hander’s eyeline to begin tightening the noose around Bangladesh in the first Test. He executed this in a manner so familiar that seasoned viewers could almost play the dismissal in their heads with minimal description.
Shakib Al Hasan pushed forward to defend, but the drop on the ball meant he didn’t get forward enough to smother the bounce. The ball hit the inside half of Shakib’s bat, ricocheted onto his pad, and then lobbed toward that strategically placed fielder. The day before, another left-hander, Mominul Haque, was similarly undone by Ashwin. Mominul was deceived by a slowed-up delivery that drifted inward, causing him to play inside the line. The ball then spun slightly past his defense to hit the stumps.
These instances highlight an intriguing aspect of cricket: despite the extensive data points logged, movements registered, and actions infinitely debated, some talents remain largely inscrutable.
. For over 13 years, Ashwin’s mastery has been witnessed by many, but very few have figured out how to counter it effectively.
For India, the familiarity of Ashwin’s rituals has become almost a muscle memory. As they embark on a 10-Test season, a season where they are also chasing another World Test Championship (WTC) final, Ashwin’s consistency offers a comforting reliability amidst transitions in their Test structure.
This sense of continuity doesn’t come easily to Ashwin, who at 38 years of age, is now fielding questions about a potential swansong. The grind of Test cricket takes its toll, and Ashwin must manage his physical and mental reserves carefully. “It is a long season. Sometimes when you look so far ahead, it can be quite deflating. You are playing 3-4 months of cricket, with 10 Test matches. That’s a lot,” he said in Chennai.
Ashwin emphasized the importance of taking it step-by-step. “You can’t think too far ahead. You have to stack it up. I did put in a bit of work getting into it. I know I need to have some reserves in the tank. So, I have tried to build it up. We will have to see. There are good breaks between games, and hopefully, I will get small windows to keep working on my skills and fitness. More than skill, it is about being physically able and pliable to get through the season,” he added.
Ultimately, cricket, like the world outside, remains in a state of chaotic flux. Each week brings new challenges, new shocks, and new excitement. Teams will evolve, requiring fresh vision and personnel. Yet, it’s in moments like Ashwin’s spellbinding performances that one understands why certain old habits and rituals retain their charm.