Over the last couple of years, R. Ashwin has grown in stature as fast as he collected those 92 wickets in 16 Tests. The off-spinner, armed with a repertoire of deliveries to keep the batsmen guessing all the time, looks cut out for a bigger role in the young Indian side. Ashwin, who is leading the TNCA XI in the Buchi Babu all-India tournament, spoke to this newspaper on various subjects.

Excerpts

On the Champions Trophy success: Not only for the team, the performance was also significant for me. There are people who always doubting my abilities. But I am someone who never had doubts about myself. The high-profile event in England proved to be a platform where I could show my detractors that I was capable of rising to the occasion.
On being rested from current South Africa ‘A’ tour: These breaks are mandatory. Otherwise, it’s difficult to sit and analyse the areas you need work on. This particular break has refreshed my mind. I bank on my mental strength than abilities in difficult times.

As one of the senior players in the current Indian side, how does he look at his role: We always work as a unit and whenever I have something to say about bowling, I go and have a chat with Dhoni. I can even tell the bowlers directly. As someone who knows a bit of batting, I can assess the mindset of the batsmen very well and it has come quit handy. It’s not necessary that you have to show leadership only when you were given that title (captain). Getting that (captaincy) is not in your hands and I can’t take a call on that. I will, however, continue to contribute my bit for the team.

On his rapport with Dhoni: I don’t hesitate to ask my captain what I want as a bowler. The IPL has helped develop a good understanding with Dhoni. He has never changed the field that I set up. He gives suggestions when things go wrong. Whenever he tosses the ball to me, he just goes behind the stumps and asks to set my own field. That’s a good sign of trust. I reckon he believes in my skills.

On Ashwin the all-rounder: I always wanted to become a genuine all-round cricketer and it’s still a target. Although I didn’t get much scope for batting in the Champions Trophy, I am looking to become an all-rounder and add more value to my team. In my debut first-class game for Tamil Nadu, I played as No.10 and I felt it was quite insulting to my abilities. The year I made it to the Ranji side, I made around 950 runs in club cricket and broke S. Sharath’s record of five centuries on the trot. I thought I would be batting at 7 or 8, but went to the crease at 10 and made duck on Ranji debut. Whenever I scored runs batting first, more often than not I ended up with a bunch of wickets. Likewise, a good day with the ball has helped me bat confidently.

You have been a revelation at the slip cordon off late: I have my own limitations when it comes to fielding, but I am striving hard to improve my agility. The match I fielded best in my career was the 2011 World Cup quarterfinal against Australia. I trained really hard during the World Cup. It gave me that belief that I could be an asset on the field. I have a good shoulder and arm. Being a tall guy, I was concentrating in straighter areas, but suddenly came an idea from CSK fielding coach Steve Rixon to put me in the slips.

You are one of the very few cricketers playing all three formats of the game: I haven’t really thought about it. I strive hard to be good at in whatever format of the game I play. People should remember me for excelling in all the formats of the game rather than branding me as a one-format specialist.

On the impending record of becoming the fastest Indian to take 100 wickets (Ashwin has played 16 Tests and is eight wickets short of the milestone. Erapalli Prasanna holds the record with 20 matches): It could probably play on my mind when I go closer to that number. When I was on the verge of taking 50 wickets, it was surely on my mind and took a bit of time to take that wicket. It’s only natural that you get wary of it. However, I have learnt to overcome that now. People have been talking about this milestone for quite some time. If I keep improving, the numbers will follow me.

Off-spinners have found it tough in Australia and South Africa despite the bounce pitches offer there. How are you going to address the issue as a Test bowler in SA? In Australia, I came of age as a bowler. I felt I bowled some brilliant spells down under. How well you handle a tough situation is going to define you as a cricketer. I have good memories of South Africa and I’m confident that I will be able to perform well there.