For Ravichandran Ashwin the wait is almost over. After his selection as the first choice off-spinner in the Indian team to Zimbabwe, Ashwin should realise his dream of representing the country.
Ashwin made the Indian Premier League his own after a moderate start with a string of successful spells and finally finished the tournament as the most economical bowler. A rate of 6.10 runs per over while bowling to the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Adam Gilchrist and Andrew Symonds does not come easy.
“I did not make any advances technically during the IPL. But mentally it was a huge climb. Operating with the new ball has given me the confidence of adapting to any situation,” said Ashwin, who took 13 wickets in the IPL.
The national side will miss the services of many senior players but Ashwin is confident of the team putting up a good show in Zimbabwe. “We must still do what is expected of us. The absence of senior players provides us an opportunity and we must make full use of it,” said Ashwin.
Having done commendably well in IPL-3, expectations from Ashwin will be high but he is not perturbed. “I am not replacing Harbhajan Singh here. I will have to bowl to the best of my ability. A 50-over game provides scope to bounce back even after a bad over. There are more reasons to hang in there,” added Ashwin.
Having added a few variations to his bowling, Ashwin is not a one-dimensional bowler any more. “It’s only a matter of confidence. I never try a variation before practicing it enough in the nets. Each variation needs to be perfected before being used in a game,” said Ashwin.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni had a crucial role in shaping Ashwin during the IPL. His guiding force will be missing in Zimbabwe.
“Dhoni is an astute leader and played a huge part in lifting my confidence. But Raina has also learnt the job and did reasonably well in his short stint with the Chennai Super Kings. I am sure the young team will rally around him,” said Ashwin, who is also confident of contributing with the bat.