CSK will never be able to thank R Ashwin enough

Chennai Super Kings will never be able to thank R Ashwin enough for conquering Gayle

CSK will never be able to thank R Ashwin enough

Chennai Super Kings will never be able to thank R Ashwin enough for conquering Gayle

Those sliders, off-breaks, leg-breaks, carrom balls, and ability to read a batsman's mind, make Ravichandran Ashwin the best thing to happen to spin bowling in India since Harbhajan Singh.

His mettle has been proven on several occasions before. Going into Saturday's Indian Premier League (IPL) final, the focus was firmly on Chris Gayle's never-ending exploits, and strategies the reigning champions had formulated to stop the big-hitting Jamaican.u00a0 Some reported MS Dhoni wanted Doug Bollinger to bounce him out.

Chennai Super Kings spinner R Ashwin (right) celebrates the wicket of
Royal Challengers Bangalore's Chris Gayle in the Indian Premier League
final at the M A Chidambaram Stadium on Saturday. Pic/Suresh KK

Frustrate him
Others said the plan was to frustrate Gayle by keeping him at the non-striker's end for long as possible. All those theories were put to rest when Ashwin made a mockery out of what Gayle had set out to do ufffd with a magnificently chalked out ploy.

When Ashwin foxed Gayle for the second occasion in the space of five days, it was perhaps analogous to a certain Sir Vivian Richards struggling to cope with craft of Erapalli Prasanna.u00a0 Ashwin proved that when brutal, mechanical power fares up against guile and craft, the latter always wins. While Gayle typically neglects the behaviour of a surface with minimal feet movement, Ashwin, with his countless variations, tries to fox a batsman on the flattest of pitches with random changes in pace and trajectory, and the dangerous, yet effective stop-and-deliver bowling action.

The irony is that Ashwin, a classified off-spinner, rarely looked to turn the ball away from the southpaw ufffd typically a norm with regards to an off-break bowler going up against a left-handed batsman. In fact, he used off-spin as a way to keep Gayle's feet firmly planted on the crease.

Forced
When he slung in a delivery with a round arm action, Gayle was forced to react at the last minute. Ashwin had beautifully set up the dismissal with two deliveries that turned away ufffd catching Gayle off guard. In fact, even the previous encounter saw Ashwin trap Gayle lbw with a ball that turned in sharply.

After the game, Ashwin, who perhaps had the UEFA Champions League final in mind, said that Chennai's dynasty would get stronger in the years to come. "I have been telling people that we can be the Manchester United of the IPL. And we are getting there," he told the host broadcaster.

The 24-year old, with his perennial hunch to innovate, must be donning the India whites soon.
Take a bow, Ashwin.