Ashwin recalls Sehwag's not-so-kind quip : 'Off-spinners are not bowlers'
R Ashwin, the world's best bowler last year, recalls the time when Virender Sehwag revealed how he thinks that off-spinners are not bowlers because they are too easy to smash. Ashwin was carted all over at nets by Sehwag but curiously foxed him by bowling "rubbish balls" instead of good ones.
During a chat show, R Ashwin recalled an incident when he was bowling to Sehwag in net practice and the explosive batsman was smashing him all over the place.
âThere was an incident in Dambulla, where every ball that I bowled, first ball I bowled outside off stump, Sehwag cut me. Next ball I bowled on off stump, he cuts me. Next ball I bowled on middle stump, he cuts me. The next ball I bowl on leg stump, he again cuts me. So I said âwhat the hell is happeningâ. So I just bowled a ball fuller, Sehwag stepped out and slugged me out for a six,â Ashwin said.
Ashwin, who was struggling to make a place in the Indian team at that time, talked about how he found the experience utterly demoralizing.
âSo I said to myself either I am just not good enough or this guy is just way too good ⌠which he was. But to the greater Sachin Tendulkar also, I didnât struggle with bowling so much in the
He didnât shy away from asking Sehwag on how he can improve his bowling, but he got a very typical Viru reply.
According to The Indian Express, he said, âBut then I couldnât hold myself back, I went to him (Sehwag) and asked, âso what should I do to improveâ. If I had
âViru said, âYou know what, I donât think off-spinners are bowlers. They do not trouble me at all. I just find it easy smashing themâ. I said âSir you are cutting meâ. He said, âYeah, I hit off-spinners against the spin on the off side and for left-arm spinners, I will hit against the spin on the leg side.â
However, Ashwin being Ashwin finally managed to figure out a way to deal with Sehwag and said that this technique has worked wonders against Sehwag.
âSo basically for Sehwag, it was very simple, he hit people on good balls. So my simple strategy to Sehwag was to bowl rubbish balls. And it worked. Because when you start bowling rubbish balls, he starts dictating the pace to you with your rubbish balls or
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