He does not shy away from calling himself a cricket tragic, but a cricket scientist is a term that appropriately fits the India all-rounder. After a hard day’s play when most cricketers like to unwind by taking their mind off the game, Ashwin gets his fix by deeply reliving the day’s play through analysis, highlights, stats and some more research.
Before a Test match, he gets into a sacred zone and methodically prepares himself for the battle ahead. Excellence is what drives Ashwin now and the bar has been raised so high that anything less is considered a failure.
It was no surprise that Ashwin was the unanimous choice for the Man of the Series after the fourth Test ended in a dampener with only 22 overs of play possible. With 235 runs, including two centuries and 17 wickets with two five-wicket haul, Ashwin towered over everyone else with his all-round show in the series that India won 2-0.
In a lengthy chat with
BCCI.TV, Ashwin spoke about his burning desire to excel and improve with every passing day.
It is staggering that you’ve won the Man of the Series prize six times out of seven Test series that India have won since your debut.
To contribute to a team’s success and win the series is huge. It is a huge achievement that out of seven series that we have won, I have been Man of the series in six of them. I didn’t embark on the journey wanting to do this, but pursuance for excellence has always been inside me. That’s been the driving force for me and I am very happy for what’s happened.
You seem to be delivering every day. The pace at which you are going is Bradmanesque. Your preparation must be very different. Share the secret with us.
It is very simple. If everybody can come with the mindset, it will definitely be a champion side. I was very sure that the Australian teams of the early 90s and 2000s was made of that stuff. The fact that everybody steps onto the field, wanting to be hero on that particular day. If I take the ball and there are 10 possible wickets that need to be taken, I need to have five of them at any cost. I think that a particular hunger with which you go to sleep is going to keep you awake all night. If you can turn the tide and make sure you are out there to get wickets, it will happen. That has been my belief.
One such thing is the belief on the side of the mental aspect. I have never settled down with what I have had. Every particular session, the trainer and physio say my workload is very very high.
For me, one fine day I should be literally unplayable. If I bowl six balls in an over, the batsman should get beaten on all six deliveries. I think that will be the pinnacle point in my career. I don’t know if I will be able to achieve it, but I have definitely embarked on the journey trying to at least achieve it. I am on the path to getting there and achieving all the things I am at the moment.
Give us an insight into a champion’s mindset. Virat Kohli has been phenomenal this year across formats and you both have similar traits.
It is important for people seeking excellence to do boring things day in and day out. It sounds a bit clichéd, but you have to keep ticking all the boxes no matter what. You have to be at the nets day in and day out. In this team, we have embraced the fitness culture beautifully. We have embraced that as a group, we need to get fitter. If everybody puts in a few drops of water every day, the bucket is going to fill up one day. That is the mindset we’ve. The biggest factor for a champion is that he needs to contribute to the team’s kitty than to his kitty and that is something we have all done well together.
Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag held the record for most Man of the Series (five times). You have gone past them. There must be a percentage division with regards to your method, madness and skill?
I am 100 per cent method, 80 per cent skill and 150 per cent madness. There are a few things I can attribute my success to and one of the facts is that I think cricket all the time. People also think I am a bit of a cricket tragic. There is hardly anyone in the team who follows as much cricket as I do. I start right from reading about the wickets. To put it into a simple mix, I started a cricket academy five-six years ago. The reason behind that was teaching kids would actually enhance my knowledge as a cricketer.
My simple little experiment was to teach kids off spin bowling in 2013 at the academy. I was going through a lean patch. I wasn’t the Man of the Series in the India-England series (Pataudi Trophy) and we were going to take on Australia. It was a landmark series for me.
The kids were making the error in how the length needs to be for a spinner. I was contemplating why the length was erring and realized they were not able to transfer their weight. So, I went back home and did a little bit of study on why they were not able to transfer weight and what is the most important key in transferring weight at the crease. It was then that I understood about balance and about the stride length. After seeing videos for three days, I went back and explained the kids about it and with a wry smile in my mind, I put it into practice and sorted the problem myself.
My stride length was wide and it was large and I sorted out my own problem. Those are the kinds of things I do. I know it can be weird. It can be a bit of madness that I bring to the table, but that works for me and I would like to continue the same way.
Are you superstitious in any way?
I am not very superstitious. Yes, I like to repeat a lot of routines. I like to have time on the morning of a Test match. I wake up at 5.30 AM on a Test match day and give myself time. Once a Test starts, I am a cat on a hot teen roof. I wake up early, listen to music, do yoga and take a long shower. These are the routines that I have followed and they put me in the right balance.
There was a time when spinners did not go to the gym. Do you work out often?
I do spend a lot of time in the gym. It gives me a lot of impetus into a game, especially in a season like this when we play one big Test series after another. The modern day cricketer does not get rest for four-five months in a year like the yesteryear cricketers. It is of paramount importance that I put fitness ahead of everything else. I have not been blessed with the best athletic body, so I put the extra yards in. Recently, I put up a video on Instagram which was my best clean, 72 kgs. Weightlifting has brought great results for me.
You have evolved as an all-rounder, but since your primary duty is that of a bowler, how satisfying is it to win more Man of the Series than anyone else in India?
Over the last 3-4 years, we have won a lot of Test series, be it at home or away. We have won more Test series than Indian team has ever achieved. There can be a lot of opinions that can come about from that statement, but I do believe that we have not won so many games in the 1980s and 90s. The bowlers are of paramount importance. How many ever runs the batters make, but if the bowlers can’t take 20 wickets, it is impossible to put yourself on the honours board anywhere in the world. I wanted to make a difference all along as a kid and I am happy that I could translate that passion into performance and win games for my country.
