MUMBAI: Five-wicket hauls are considered the equivalent of centuries. Bowlers with many of those are seldom treated in accordance with what’s reserved for batsmen with several centuries, but this is a parameter used to describe effectiveness. Mutthiah Muralitharan leads this chart in Test cricket, with a staggering tally of 65.
How abnormally exceptional the Sri Lankan’s figures are can be fathomed from the fact that next on this list is Shane Warne with 37, from 145 Tests. Richard Hadlee has 36 in 86, Anil Kumble 35 in 132 and Glenn McGrath 29 from 124. With 24 five-wicket hauls in just 43 Tests, Ravichandran Ashwin has not just moved up to 12th on the all-time list, but has done it astonishingly quickly.
Although skipper Virat Kohli walked away with the Man of the Match award in the fourth Test in Mumbai, Ashwin (6/112, 6/55) was a major reason India wrapped up the series with a match to go. Breaking partnerships and running through the tail, Kohli’s No 1 henchman didn’t give batsmen much hint of what he was up to.
“He has improved massively over the last couple of years. He doesn’t miss length. As a spinner, if you don’t miss length, you’re always putting the batsman under pressure. He doesn’t bowl many bad balls, and always comes at you,” Alastair Cook said of the spinner heading the series list with 27 wickets.
A different bowler since he started relying more on his stock delivery, Ashwin used the carrom ball more often in the second innings of this Test, which saw him in a defensive role for a period in the first. Bowling to a 7-2 field, he was effective in that role as well, before unfurling his predatory instincts.
“You can see that his confidence is sky high. He’s bowling more variations because he has that control. This is down to hard work, and that’s what happens in the game. If you work hard enough and are good enough, you get your rewards,” the England captain said of the difference between the Ashwin of now and the bowler his team faced four years ago.
India doesn’t have a Test series lined up abroad in the near future. So that side of the IT engineer’s ability can’t be tested immediately. If instilling fear in the opposition and earning respect is what he can do now, the Perfect 12 shows he is doing it well.
atreyo@newindianexpress.com