Not Indian cricket!! Ravichandran Ashwin reveals which team turned him into a batting sensation for TNPL 2024

Veteran Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is rewriting the playbook on batting in the ongoing Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) with an electrifying transformation.

Known for his dependable ability to smash boundaries down the ground, Ashwin has now unleashed a new dimension to his game that’s captured everyone’s attention throughout the ongoing TNPL 2024.

Ravichandran Ashwin shakes up TNPL 2024 with explosive batting overhaul

Ahead of the TNPL 2024 Final against the Lyca Kovai Kings in Chennai, the Dindigul Dragons skipper revealed that he felt the need to widen his all-round skills, especially batting, during the IPL 2024, and that's how he started hitting the ball on either side of the boundary and the result is just amazing.

In the recent TNPL Qualifier 2 against Idream Tiruppur Tamizhans at Chepauk, Ashwin’s performance was nothing short of spectacular. The seasoned off-spinner spinner turned into an explosive batsman, tearing into the left-arm spinners R Sai Kishore and S Ajith Ram with an array of reverse sweeps that left one and all stunned.

His fiery 28 runs off just nine balls against Sai Kishore at a strike rate over 300 demonstrated his newly honed skills and fearless approach. With an astounding strike rate of 166.66 and 200 runs in just eight innings—five of these innings coming as an opener or at No. 3 for the Dindigul Dragons—Ashwin is proving that age is just a number.

His ability to adapt and revolutionize at the top of the order, or No. 3 for the Dindigul Dragons, is a testament to his relentless pursuit of excellence. Ashwin said that his batting evolution is not only keeping him engaged but is also redefining his role in the game, which the IPL teams would certainly keep in mind in the upcoming mega auction.

I felt like I needed to widen my game in the last IPL: Ashwin

The Rajasthan Royals (RR) have often utilized promoting Ashwin to assist their finishers in the IPL, and now he has expanded his range with the bat at the age of 37 years. He’s now effectively playing boundary shots square of the wicket, and the results are impressive in the ongoing TNPL 2024.

Ravichandran Ashwin said at the pre-match press conference: “Look, everything is work in progress, right? It's all about repetitions and understanding angles and triggers. Obviously, in the last IPL, I felt like I needed to widen my game and widen my horizons square of the wicket because I know I can hit the ball down the ground and I can use my feet. Do I want to explore other options? is something I had to ask myself. So, if I can ask that question and if I can find an answer, it gives me a new avenue to explore and keep myself interested in the game.”

Notably, Dindigul's emerging left-arm spinner, P Vignesh, missed out on a spot in India's Under-19 World Cup squad earlier this year, but he’s made a notable impact with his precision and control in the TNPL.

Similarly, Tiruppur's allrounder Mohamed Ali, who also didn’t make the Under-19 World Cup team, has been turning heads with his off-spin in the TNPL. And Ashwin has encouraged the youngster to look at setbacks as opportunities to improve and continuously enhance their skills.