It's about what you can do for the team: Ashwin

There is nothing constant in cricket or life, but the manner in which fortunes of players in Team India have changed since the 2017-18 season is surprising. Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin can vouch for that. He came into the national side on the basis of his performances in the IPL and soon enough he graduated to the ODI side and then the Tests, where he became a one-man demolition army for his skippers in home conditions. Ironically, it was in the shorter formats that he first got edged out along with his regular spin partner Ravindra Jadeja, by the rising wrist-spin duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal. His last ODI match was in 2017 against the West Indies in Antigua and last T20 international was at Kingston, the same year.

The 32-year-old offie's tally abroad have been a pale shadow of his rich hauls in home conditions. On the 2014 tour of England, Ashwin finished the series with three wickets in two Tests he played. Ahead of the England series this year, he signed up with Worcestershire where he took 20 wickets in four matches. Time out from Team India meant going back to the basics and playing club cricket, domestic cricket, county cricket and even the Tamil Nadu Premier League. He tried out a few things like simplifying his action, bowling more effectively in the air, and even tried bowling leg-spin.

On the recently concluded England tour, he played in four matches and took 11 wickets. He started with a bang—in the first Test at Edgbaston, he took 7-83. In the fourth Test in Southampton, Ashwin, according to skipper Virat Kohli, aggravated an injury he was carrying. The sight of Ashwin struggling in the match, returning figures of 1-84 in 37.1 overs, led to questions on why the team management played him despite a groin injury. He had not even bowled a single delivery two days ahead of the fourth Test.

In an exclusive interaction with THE WEEK, Ashwin spoke of how he coped with the change in his cricketing fortunes and how he still has not given up on his white ball future. Excerpts:

How would you describe your cricket journey since last year? You were once an integral part of team in all three formats, but now things have changed.

I think everything happens for a reason, for good. It has given me time to really reflect on my cricket. There is only so much I can control. For me, it has been the journey of self-realisation. It gave me time to understand what I have done in my career till now and what I will do in future. I need to tell myself I am a very good cricketer. And to find joy, I must take pride in what I do.

Having been dropped from the playing XI or squad, you played club, domestic and county cricket. What is it you discovered in your bowling while making all these efforts?

At this point of time, I don’t know where I stand. Until I got injured, I found a lot of bad habits had crept in. I found myself in a good space in terms of my bowling. I can't put a finger on where I didn’t bowl well (deep sigh). It was important to realise this, and tell myself that whenever opportunities arise, I should be able to take it with both my hands, for which I need to be ready mentally and physically.

It has been more a battle of the mind than anything else. Over the last 12 months, different parts of my body have troubled me. It is no rocket science; people go through these phases in their career and I am no different. Having said all that, I have tried a lot of things in terms of my cricket, yes. I am someone who believes sky is the limit and one can do anything. I have gone on to develop some other new variations. I haven't played a lot of white ball cricket, yes, but whoever has followed my white ball cricket has seen me bowl leg-spin in club and Vijay Hazare matches. I went on and developed a slider.

For me, learning never stops, whatever happens. But like I said earlier, whatever is not under my control, I have stopped worrying about that and gone about what I can do and enjoy my cricket.

Who has been your pillar of support? Who have you gone to and spoken with?

It is important in such times to have good family support... it plays a huge role. I have had a lot of conversations with my coaches who have had impact on my bowling. But, at home, I have had lots of conversations with my family.

There has been a lot of hard work. But that would happen with everyone, not just me. There will be moments when you are plagued with self-doubts. For different people, it is different, but thankfully for me, I have never lived in a bubble. It is not the celebrity status I seek. It is always about the cricket I play, not about being part of all three formats, or being on TV. For me, the bubble is the cricket I like to play and enjoy.

How did you approach the England tour? How would you analyse your performance?

I had no baggage, no plan in mind. I just wanted to go out and enjoy. Even though things have changed, I consciously decided not to say anything. If one bowler is selected, it doesn’t have to be me. I am happy with how I play and am comfortable with changes. For me, it is all about enjoying myself. I did enjoy myself in England though in the end it was frustrating as I got injured.

It started really well. I felt I was bowling really well. Not being part of the playing XI initially and to come in and pick up more than ten wickets was good. I look to be a little bit emphatic towards myself. I set a goal for myself but I got injured towards the end and maybe I didn’t achieve that. The wicket was conducive, there were opportunities on a lot of occasions, spinners were getting wickets, and the ball was doing a lot. The injury was frustrating because I knew I was bowling well and I felt if my body was also with me, I could have worked out a few issues. But the body didn’t go the way I wanted it to.

You mentioned about old habits creeping in. How tough was it to unlearn and get back to doing the right things?

As a bowler, visually, when you send down a ball, you know whether you are happy with it or not. When you are on a roll, you always know what is best. It is easier for you to understand how to get back to it. To unlearn mentally is a lot more easier than to actually do it. But once you understand what you need to do, then it’s a matter of time and hard work to get the desired results.

But then that's always been me. It wasn’t very hard to make the switch mentally before things fell in place.

How did it feel to be left out of the team's playing XI after being so successful. Was it frustrating?

It is always disappointing for anyone to be left out, but for me, the moment I got into the Indian team it was about excelling. How many teams have the luxury of not having their first spinner in the team? To give due credit, when Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal came, they did extremely well. You have to give them credit. They have done some great stuff. I think competition is excellent. It is all about telling me and (Ravindra) Jadeja—boss, can you up your game?

I look at it positively. I am sure one day the opportunity will come and when it does, I should be prepared.

With the World Cup due next year, how are you approaching white ball cricket?

It is about cricket for me, not necessarily where, when and how. So, for me, just because I was not part of a squad or was out due to injury doesn’t mean anything. Disappointing certainly but it is not a setback. I know for a fact that all I need to do is sharpen my skills. It means getting back to being the best you can be. If you can do it, it doesn’t matter which tournament you play.

What made you play the Southampton Test match while carrying an injury? Virat Kohli said you aggravated your injury in the match.

How many times will you get an opportunity to make it 2-2, for your team? We were down 2-1 (in the series). We had won the third Test, and here was an opportunity to make it 2-2 for the team. That’s what you play for. That's what we all played for. I am not someone who makes excuses. When we went into the Test, the intention was to make it 2-2.

It is about what you can do for the team to achieve its goal.

The new season is long and demanding. How will you manage your workload?

I put constant pressure on myself and wasted a lot of energy in the past. I will look to just relax and focus on what I am doing, and not set any goals. The process is important. And properly following it, too. As for selection, let people equipped to do the job take care of it. It is just matter of being at the right place, at the right time.