"Last IPL, felt like I needed to widen my game": Ravichandran Ashwin

Ravichandran Ashwin. Pic/AFP

Veteran Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin on Saturday admitted that he realised the need to expand his game, especially with his batting, during the Indian Premier League (IPL) this year with Rajasthan Royals. Ashwin will be leading Dindigul Dragons against Lyca Kovai Kings in the final of the Tamil Nadu Premier League here on Sunday. This season, he has been terrific with the bat, having been Dindigul's third-highest run-scorer. Moreover, his successful use of reverse sweeps, especially against left-arm spinners R Sai Kishore and S Ajith Ram in Qualifier 2 versus Idream Tiruppur Tamizhans has caught attention.

He has been scoring a lot of boundaries towards the square of the wicket in the tournament this season and when asked about mastering the art of it, Ashwin said it's about "understanding angles and triggers". "Everything is a work in progress, right? It's all about repetitions, and understanding angles and triggers," Ashwin told reporters during the pre-final press conference on Saturday. "Obviously, in the last IPL, I felt like I needed to widen my game and 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 find an answer, it gives me a new avenue to explore and keep myself interested in the game."

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GT's role was to help me improve my spin game: Shahrukh Khan

Meanwhile, Lyca skipper Shahrukh said during his stint with IPL side Gujarat Titans he got to work a lot on batting against the spinners, which had a positive effect on him. "When I was with the Gujarat Titans, we had a camp for about a couple of months there. So, I started working a lot on my spin game because they wanted me to bat up the order," he said. "And, when you bat up the order, obviously for a batter like me having my concerns against spin, especially, opponent teams would bring in spin when I come out to bat.

"So, their role was to help me improve my spin game, and it helped. The front press I'm doing (in this TNPL) is quite obvious now, and it has helped me to score off the front foot and the back foot as well." The 29-year-old all-rounder has been his side's second-highest run-getter for the season, after B Sai Sudharsan, and possesses the best strike rate from his team -- 191.37. The TNPL final starts at 7.15 pm and will be played at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.

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