Ravichandran Ashwin Opens Up About Marnus Labuschagne's Dismissal In 2nd IND vs AUS ODI; Says Australians Weren't Reading Him Well From Hand

Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin opened up about Marnus Labuschagne’s wicket that he took in the second ODI against Australia in Indore. He said that he wanted to keep his pace up and down as the batter was trying different things.

Ravichandran Ashwin was one of the key architects behind India’s 99-run win over Australia in the second ODI. The off-spinner spun web about around the opposition batters and ran through their middle order in no time to win the game for his team.

Ravichandran Ashwin picked three wickets and out of that the scalp of Marnus Labuschagne was something that looked like poetry in motion. The off-spinner outfixed the batter with his bowling as well as the mind as he rattled his stumps to break the partnership and put his team in a strong position.

Ravichandran Ashwin dismissed Marnus Labuschagne with a staggering carrom ball. The batter didn’t read it all and was back in the hut for 27 runs. The off-spinner returned with the figures of 3/43 that helped India not only win the game but also clinch the series as well.

Ravichandran Ashwin talked about the thought process he went through before dismissing Marnus Labuschagne. He highlighted that he wanted to keep his length perfect as the batter tried to play a reverse sweep against him. He added that the opposition didn’t read him well from hands and that was what he was trying to do. Speaking in a video posted by BCCI, he explained:

“They had nothing to lose after the rain break, they had to go hard and hit a boundary every over. Chasing 400 runs in 50 overs is completely different to chasing 317 in 33 overs. I wanted to keep the length perfectly in terms of trying to keep it away from the bat and also change pace. Marnus tried to play reverse sweep before that and I was expecting him to try and reverse and then probably try to slog sweep.

“I wanted to keep my pace up and down just In Case he gave the stumps away. I felt that they were not picking it off the hand that very well so maybe that angle I’m creating and I’m using my third finger to bowl the carrom ball and off break. Hopefully, it’ll hold me in good shape.”

I was pleased was the amount of uncertainty I was able to create – Ravichandran Ashwin

Ravichandran Ashwin further revealed the changes that he made ahead of the series at NCA. He admitted that he should’ve made those changes earlier in his career. He explained:

“I worked with Sairaj at NCA, working on different angles and different grips. He said there’s a difference in that and I asked him to watch from front and back and we worked on it for 3-4 days. For how much cricket I’ve played over the years, I should’ve done this a long time ago but doing it now at least, I’m glad. At the end of the day when the batsman is deceived, it’s a great ball, that’s all you are hoping for as a bowler.”

Ravichandran Ashwin added that he was pleased with the way he challenged both the edges of the bat. He admitted that he was delighted with the way he bowled in the second game. He elaborated:

“But what I was pleased was the amount of uncertainty I was able to create with respect to both edges of the blade. That’s something I’ve been working on and wanting to do it. When I go into this carrom ball and slider mode, the angles, and release points are pretty similar. So I wanted to bring edges into play which I was able to do. This has been in offering for a while and I’m glad that I was able to achieve it.”

Ravichandran Ashwin with his performance in the second game could well have given a headache to selectors related to his selection in the World Cup squad. With Axar Patel being out due to injury, the off-spinner will be front runner to replace him.