Is Ravichandran Ashwin India’s Greatest Off Spinner Ever?

Short Answer – Yes. Ravichandran Ashwin is hand’s down, without a doubt, India’s greatest off spinner of all time!

A remarkable career nearing a 100 test matches and 500 test wickets at the time of writing this piece, Ashwin is easily one of the greatest spinners of this era! His incredible record with a mammoth 34 five wicket hauls and 8 ten wicket hauls at a career average of 23 is second to none.

Now what is it that makes Ash such a legend of the modern game and India’s best? Let’s get right into it!

Adaptability & Evolution As An Off Spinner

One compelling aspect of Ashwin’s career is his continuous quest for improvement. Examining his performances across series and seasons reveals a dedicated approach to evolving his skillset.

Notably, after the 2014-15 Australia tour, Ashwin demonstrated great adaptability, modifying his action based on the playing conditions. This shift was also influenced by his participation in county matches since 2017 in England.

Ravichandran Ashwin’s School Of Tactical Brilliance

Ashwin’s ability to outthink batsmen sets him apart. Heralded as a master tactician, he approaches the game with a batsman’s mindset. A perspective he honed during his days as an opener in domestic cricket for Tamil Nadu.

This strategic acumen has always been evident – most recently in the Australia series, where he effectively worked over formidable batsmen like Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne in exactly the way he had prophesized he would!

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Variations Galore

Synonymous with Ravichandran Ashwin is the array of variations in his bowling repertoire. Starting off with a simple off-spinner, he introduced the carrom ball and continued to evolve.

The introduction of different types of deliveries, including top spin, seam-up deliveries, and a decoy carrom ball during the IPL, showcases his commitment to staying ahead in the game.

There’s a lovely video of Ashwin explaining his variations and it is an absolute joy to watch!

Just the sheer number of variations he possesses is genius. I doubt any bowler in any era has ever mastered so many different kinds of deliveries!

Comparisons to Other Indian Greats

Now it is never going to be fair if we sat down to compare players across generations. The arguments for older generation players are that they had fewer facilities and opportunities at their disposal. Conversely, the newer generation players have had greater criticism, external and internal pressure & way more competition.

However, for the sake of bringing absolute numbers into the equation, we had a look at careers of some of India’s most prominent off spinners – Prasanna, Bhajji & of course, Ash.

Erapalli Prasanna for those who might not know, was one of the greatest off spinners India ever produced. Along with Bedi, Venkataraghavan & Chandrasekhar, Prasanna was part of India’s famous “spin quartet” that wreaked havoc on batting lineups world over!

Now let’s have a look at Prasanna’s numbers by country- barring New Zealand & to some extent Austrlia, Prasanna did not do too well overseas:

Similarly, Bhajji too has had more of an impact in New Zealand, Windies & to some extent South Africa!

And lastly Ashwin, who barring South Africa and to a decent extent Australia, has performed incredibly elsewhere.

Conclusion

Well if just the paragraphs on variations and tactics of Ashwin weren’t enough to place him on top, the numbers along with comparisons ensure that the argument is nailed in!

Ravichandran Ashwin is undoubtedly, India’s greatest off spinner of all time.