Ravichandran Ashwin set to add 'Leg spin' to his armory in the upcoming IPL

Ravichandran Ashwin has been a significant member of the Indian team even since Harbhajan Singh’s form began to suffer and drop. Ashwin evolved in the leader of the spin attack and has been a part of India’s victories over the years. He was a regular member in all three formats of the game before team India adopted the ‘Wrist Spin’ mantra. Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal displaced him from the limited-overs set-up and have been significant performers for the team.

However, Ravichandran Ashwin still features in the Test squad and plays a pivotal role despite having been ousted by some serious talent in the incumbent Indian side at the moment. Known as a bowler who loves to try new things, Ashwin is planning on adding the leg-spin trait into his armory.

Ravichandran Ashwin to bowl leg spin as a variation in IPL

Ashwin recently accepted that he was practicing leg spin bowling and also mentioned that it was an integral part of his plan to practice bowling it in the upcoming IPL for the Kings XI Punjab. The 30-year old also said that he used to bowl good leg-breaks early on in his career and added that he possessed a lot of variations back then.

“This is part of my plan going into the IPL. I am just trying to build my armory. I used to bowl good leg breaks with my off-spin action when I was playing league cricket in Chennai. Over a period of time, in a search to get my stock ball right, I obviously had to cut out a lot of those things. I had possessed a lot more variations. Having bowled off-break as the stock ball for almost 10 years, trying to change things around is challenging. But I don’t really settle for anything. At no point in my career, I thought ‘this is it’ and decided to settle for the rest of my career”, the off-spinner said.

The Indian spinner also said that he is working quite closely with his coaches to mold his action to be able to bowl leg spin. “As of now, everything is cooked by me. I try to take feedback from our coaches in my academy. Balaji has been of great help. First time I was bowling leg spin, we were working on some actions on how to gain momentum. How I can make a repeatable action work for me,” he added.

Also, he said that it has been a painful ride bowling leg spin. “For example, my arm doesn’t go 45 degrees which is perfect for a leg-spinner. I am more upright. I have to adjust my action. It has been a painful ride. One day it will come out well in the nets, and the next day it won’t come out all right. It will be frustrating. I have gone through the entire journey and have reached a place where I can land the ball where I want to,” he said on the sidelines of Tamil Nadu’s Vijay Hazare Trophy game against Gujarat.