R Ashwin - twice the asset, twice as dangerous

Four balls into his innings, Ravichandran Ashwin found himself scampering back to reach the crease at the non-striker's end. The next day, when on 43, he edged Shannon Gabriel to the 'keeper. Had West Indies' fielders succeeded in either of the two attempts, Ashwin's innings would have come to a premature end. They didn't, and Ashwin went on to slam his third Test hundred.

He was promoted to bat at No.6 for this Test, ahead of regular No.6, Wriddhiman Saha - a development he admitted he got to know only on the morning of the Test. He was delighted that he got the chance and he took it with both hands.

Ashwin's potential as a batsman is well known; he played as an opening batsman in junior cricket. Before today, he already had two Test hundreds to his name and he has the time and touch that indicate he knows how to bat quite well.

But the chances coming his way were not aplenty. The chances to prove how dependable a batsman he can be were few and far between. Even though he did well when he got the chance, Ashwin was left disappointed at not having gotten a promotion up the order.

"I've always wanted to bat in the top seven for the Indian team," admitted Ashwin after Day two of the first Test in Antigua on Friday (July 22). "(It) is a long-time goal that I have to try to strive to get better at. I need to thank Anil bhai and Virat [Kohli] for having the confidence in me to be pushed at No.6. There have been times in the past when I've played really well and haven't really got the promotion."

Ahead of this season, Ashwin left no stone unturned in ensuring that he batted such that it merits a slot in the top seven.

He started working more on his batting before the start of the season. In Chennai, Ashwin said, he worked for one month with his coach in trying to fix the minor chinks in his armour. He even roped in a specialist from South Africa to help him better his running between the wickets, an aspect of his game that has been found wanting a number of times.

And the results are already showing.

"I've never left so many balls. Ajinkya told before the Test match about batting 200 balls, my aim was to bat 150 balls and try and see where I get. In between, I played an over from Gabriel which was a bit loose, and Virat came up to me and said, 'that is what you need to avoid in Test cricket to be more successful'. I really thought I left really well and knew where my off-stump was," Ashwin added.

The work on his batting and its technique did not just start one month before the start of the season. Ashwin has worked with India batting coach Sanjay Bangar in trying to get his batting stance and initial movements in place.

Ashwin felt he had an extra side-on stance while taking strike and needed to open that a little bit more. Bangar helped him correct that. There were times during the day when during his defence it seemed as if he was opened up more than usual, but the 29-year-old has the results to prove that the training he took was the right one.

"Sanjay Bangar worked really closely with my stance for the last 12 months. It has been a challenge. (But) that change is very effective," he said.

That change has also allowed him to drive straight down the ground and score runs. Something he did very effectively during his 253-ball 113-run stint at the crease.

If the changes work to Ashwin's liking, and his performances, like today's, are to India's liking, he could very well hold on to the number six spot.

Add to this his ability as India's top spinner, and R Ashwin could well evolve to becoming twice the asset for the team than he already is. And twice as dangerous for the opposition.