Prince of spin - Ravichandran Ashwin

R. Ashwin, India's newest cricket sensation talks about the World Cup win, his inspiration and hobbies

When Ravichandran Ashwin gives me directions to his house, I ask for the nearest landmark. Little did I realise that his house is now a landmark in itself. A member of India's World Cup winning squad and instrumental in Chennai Super Kings' continuing dominance of the Indian Premier League, Ashwin is today a star. Everybody in the neighbourhood knows where exactly their hero lives. I just have to ask “Ashwin's house?” and people are more than happy to guide me, but not before enquiring with a gleam in their eyes whether I'm actually scheduled to meet the talented off-spinner.

His living room is occupied almost entirely by cricket paraphernalia. On display are stumps signed by the team, books, innumerable trophies and photographs of Ashwin with various cricketers. Of course, now there's also a large framed picture of the victorious champagne-soaked World Cup side from that memorable evening in Mumbai.

“The fact that this win will go down in history makes me cherish it,” says Ashwin, revealing that one of his most treasured moments with the squad came during the quarterfinal between India and Australia. “We were five wickets down. Everybody was huddled together in the dressing room and we were tense. Sachin (Tendulkar) was pacing up and down, trying to motivate us. I realised then what a close-knit team we were and that's when we knew we would win the Cup,” he narrates.

Ashwin, 24, has been playing cricket since he was eight. He opened the batting as well as bowling for his school (PSBB, K.K. Nagar) for its under-10 and under-12 teams, before switching over to St. Bede's. “I wanted to play all the time. In school I was an opening batsman and scored a lot of runs. School performances mattered a lot then. Vijay Kumar, my coach at St. Bede's, told me that I'd definitely play for India as an off-spinner,” he recalls.

Although managing competitive cricket and academics simultaneously is always tough, Ashwin didn't want to quit studying. The balancing act, especially when he enrolled himself in an engineering course, required a lot of effort. But constant success in the league and domestic circuit brought him to the attention of the national selectors. This resulted in the realisation of his dream to represent the country.

“I was picked for the T20 against Sri Lanka and right from then till now I have been in the team for every ODI. But the first match that I actually got to play in was an ODI against Sri Lanka in June 2010; till then I was just touring with the team.” Being part of the Indian team, he says, has been his greatest success yet. “When I got my Indian Team jersey, I wore it and took a couple of pictures in it,” he smiles, adding that he is lucky to be getting paid to do what he loves most.

Ashwin's first ODI didn't quite have a fairytale ending (India lost to Sri Lanka by six wickets). However he has been a lucky presence in the matches he has played so far. “Of the 11 ODIs I have played in, we have lost only three, while we won all the T20's I've played in.” With a rather impressive report card in the two versions of the game, what remains now is a Test debut, which he believes is the “king” of all forms of cricket. “Playing a test will be a dream come true. But I am not in a hurry. Results take care of themselves as long as you are honest about what you do. I am constantly trying to innovate and improve. I also love experimenting with my game.”

That apparently is not all he experiments with. “I also like trying out different hair styles…and experimenting with jeans – various styles and fits.” The towering bowler has a growing collection of printed T-shirts and flip flops. Each overseas tour sees him adding to his collection of shades and watches with fancy dials and funky bands. His other fascination is cars. “Jaguar and Audi are my dream cars.”

As the interview proceeds, I notice Ashwin is quite chatty and his sentences are often punctuated with a bright smile, unlike the serious, ‘angry young man' persona he brandishes on the field. “I am focussed on the game and maybe that's why people get this impression of me being stern. But actually I am told I have a decent sense of humour.” Ashwin shares a great rapport with Murali Vijay, Balaji, Badrinath and Ganapathi and they have a good time pulling each others legs. Talking of favourite cricketers he says he looks up to Anil Kumble and admires the fact that he stuck to basics and has rigid work ethics. Another favourite is Yuvraj Singh. “He has been though ups and downs but is back with a bang.”

So what does he do when he's not tormenting batsmen with the carrom ball? “I play tennis, I am on the PSP with my neighbourhood kids, I go on long drives… I am a foodie and Indian food tops my list. I like the new Amethyst, The Pasta Bar Veneto. But nothing beats watching movies at Sathyam with a tub of popcorn.”

Ashwin is currently employed with India Cements and his future plan is to become an entrepreneur and start an enterprise related to cricket. Until then, fulfilling the promise of being India's most valued spin bowler should keep him suitably occupied.

Source: The Hindu