Ashwin makes dream debut with mentor in the stands

“The wicket was getting slower,so he was bowling faster through the air,” Subramaniam said of the change in approach between the first and second innings. Between the end of Day One and the start of Day Three,Ashwin had received vital feedback from his coach.

Rude awakening

The story goes that former leg spinner Laxman Sivaramakrishnan was part of the junior selection committee when Ashwin’s dream of becoming a batsman was cut short. The Chennai ‘School of Cricket’ has a tradition of giving budding cricketers a reality check — Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly were keen fast bowlers before they were turned away by the MRF Pace Foundation. But young Ashwin’s career was revived by Subramaniam during a TNCA academy trial six years ago.

Perched at the end of his plush seat in the air-conditioned viewing box,Subramaniam was a nervous bundle of energy on Tuesday. He clasped his palms and tapped his feet in excitement. His eyes glinted with pride as he watched Ashwin approach the popping crease.

When Darren Sammy didn’t pick the carrom ball and lost his stumps,Ashwin exulted in his first five-for. Seventy-odd yards away,Subramaniam realised that his faith in the ‘rejected batsman’ had been vindicated at the highest level.

“I saw that there was potential in him. Being a tall spinner myself I knew that the ability to generate extra bounce would help Ashwin,” Subramaniam said. “He was the first boy I marked out as special,even though others at the state nets didn’t share my opinion.”

Strike force

Ashwin’s trademark delivery had surprised both Sammy and Marlon Samuels in the same over. Samuels played inside the line of the carrom ball expecting it to turn,and was bowled. From both over and round the wicket,Ashwin’s control over line and length was impeccable.

From round the wicket,he pierced through left-hander Darren Bravo’s front-foot defence and trapped him lbw with a flighted delivery. Against Shivnarine Chanderpaul,Ashwin used the off-spinner to hit the pads,on this occasion from over the wicket. Ashwin had noticed that Chanderpaul was comfortable against the other line in the first innings and changed tactics on Tuesday. When Ravi Rampaul fell to a slog-sweep,Ashwin scalped his sixth of the innings.

His ward’s biggest strength,according to Subramaniam,is his constantly ticking mind,which analyses a batsman’s game faster than most others. “In Tests he will use the carrom ball sparingly,as it becomes more of a ‘set up’ delivery,but it can also surprise batsmen,” the coach reckoned. “The perception was that he was a Twenty20 and ODI bowler,but he has shown that he can adapt to Test cricket too.” His debut proves just that.