The former Indian batter, Sanjay Manjrekar, has lauded the veteran all-rounder of the Blue Brigade, Ravichandran Ashwin, for his excellent performance with the bat and the ball during the first of the two-match red-ball series against Bangladesh at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
When India was struggling to find runs on the red-soil juicy surface on the opening day of the fixture, in an unwritten rule of the game, Ravichandran Ashwin walked into the middle to score his sixth Test century and put up a 199-run seventh wicket partnership with half-centurion Ravindra Jadeja to bail India out from the trouble.
One of the reasons for India to be so successful at home in the five-day format since the start of 2013 has been the all-rounders, who, at every time of the crisis, come to help the team secure a safe position despite being under pressure at the start.
“Ravichandran Ashwin’s career should also progress like James Anderson”- Sanjay Manjrekar
The former Mumbai batter believes that the Chennai-born has successfully proved that age isn’t going to be a factor in the game if the players keep on improving their skills in different aspects of the game.
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When India needed to break the stand between the two overnight batters of the Bangladesh side in the morning of the fourth day, with his cunning plan, Ravichandran Ashwin came to find the inside edge of Shakib Al Hasan into the hands of the silly point.
“I watch the match, and accordingly, I assume the age of a player, with the way they run and play. MS Dhoni, in his prime, when he was no longer a youngster, he was the fastest in running between the wickets.” Manjrekar said during a discussion on ESPNcricinfo. “In the same way, when I watch Ashwin bowl and the way he bats, age is just a number. The age factor does not come to mind when looking at his performances.”
The former batter also felt that the spin all-rounder should look to take a cue from England’s legendary pacer, James Anderson, who was like a fine wine and went better as his career progressed. When Ashwin was 28 years old, his bowling average of nearly 30, and now, ten years later, it has come down to 22, which shows the progression with experience.
“Just like how James Anderson’s career progressed by taking rest consistently, Ravichandran Ashwin’s career should also progress in the same way. As long as he keeps performing like this, he will always get motivation.” Manjrekar hailed. “I find it amazing that his bowling has never lost touch, and he has batter with the same enthusiasm. When you have such a mind, the body has to follow it.”
In the second innings of the Chennai Test, the southpaw ended with excellent figures of 6/88 in 21 overs and earned the Player of the Match award for the second time, scored a century and picked up a five-wicket haul in the same Test at his home ground.
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The former captain in the IPL for Punjab Kings advised that batting is something that comes naturally to him, as he has been trying to make the balance between two skills in the last few years.
“I make a living by bowling, so bowling comes first all the time. I think like a bowler mostly but, I have made a conscious effort to think like a batter when I walk out with a bat in my hand. Batting is something that comes naturally yet, I have struggled sometimes with my thoughts getting ahead of myself.” Ravichandran Ashwin concluded.