Ravichandran Ashwin explained his thought process and the thinking that lies behind his deliveries after he capped off an impressive display with the ball in the first Test against West Indies at Windsor Park.
Ashwin utilised every bit of the extra bounce and spin that was on offer, making it difficult for the entire middle-order batters to read his variations, as well as line and length, and really a hard task to stay on the crease. He ended the Test with figures of 12/131 which is his best away from home.
During a chat with commentators Ian Bishop and Samuel Badree after the match, Ashwin explained his thought process while bowling. "I'm thinking constantly like a batter when I'm bowling. [During] the first few overs, I'm settling into a nice rhythm. I'm looking for different angles, trying to see whether my round-arm ball spins, or the up-and-over spins, or the flatter trajectory spins. I try and gauge the pitch, I try and gauge the right pace to be bowling with, and then I'm looking at the batter," Ashwin said as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
