His place may not be secured even hours ahead of WTC Final 2023, but Ravichandran Ashwin has already made a winning formula to unsettle Australia. With his thinking cap on, the ace off-spinner has turned to data analyst Prasanna Agoram. From trajectory, degree of turn on a particular day to shots Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne have used against spin, Ashwin has done meticulous planning for the one-off IND vs AUS clash at the Oval.
Ashwin already began changing his sleep cycle during IPL 2023. Hitting bed early would help him adjust to the time difference in England. As being fresh is key in Test, especially with not a long turnaround time between IPL and WTC Final, Ashwin began his preparatiosn early.
“The turnaround from white ball to red ball takes time, starting from sleep cycle to bowling. So Ashwin started off by undoing the old habits where if Rajasthan didn’t have a game, he would be off to bed early,” Prasanna Agoram told The Indian Express.
Also Read: No green top or dust bowl, ICC presents Rohit Sharma & Pat Cummins sporting Pitch at Oval
Who is Prasanna Agoram?
The reputed Bengaluru-based data analyst has had a long successful stint with South Africa. He has also worked with Royal Challengers Bangalore and Rising Pune Supergiants apart from other T20 franchises.
With Prasanna, Ashwin has made a formidable bond. The thinking master he is, Ashwin dug deep in data to unearth weak links batters.
As for the first time ever the Oval is hosting a Test match in June, but the pitch remains a mystery. But Ashwin has already begun planning, seeking help from Prasanna. But his questions were not generic. It’s specific, at times way too specific than most. Some of the questions are as per Indian Express:
- What’s the degree of turn at the Oval this season?
- What’s the degree of turn in the past at Oval?
- How much it has turned on each day?
- What is the ideal trajectory for different players when the ball doesn’t turn?
- What shots do Labuschagne and Smith play against spinners?
- Which shots have they played in County cricket this season?
- How has Usman Khawaja played spin in England in the past?
Why is it important?
By analysing the degree of turn on each day, Ashwin will get a fair idea of what to expect from a batsman. He would know how much to turn the ball or when to change the trajectory based on the data. With that, he can also avoid bowling at certain lengths to a certain batter.
“He has been analysing what sort of shots Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith have used against spinners in the past and in County cricket. He has been studying them as well. You can’t try it in the matches. So, he has been trying it out in the training to see, which suits the conditions,” he added.
Will Ashwin play in IND vs AUS WTC Final?
With no Test matches in England on the last tour, Ashwin’s place remains a question mark, especially with how the wicket would play. But as the pitch has turned out to be on the drier side despite the green tinge, Ashwin is definitely a contender.
In fact, it is getting clear that Ashwin is very much playing as he was involved in additional session with the bat. Then who gets the boot? The decision is difficult as Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma will have to choose between Shardul Thakur and Umesh Yadav.
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