Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is adding a surprise leg-break to his already formidable bag of tricks but is convinced that the controversial “doosra” cannot be bowled with a straight arm.
The 29-year-old is basking in the glory of a stellar year in which he won back-to-back man-of-the-series awards after spinning India to Test series victories in Sri Lanka and at home against South Africa.
A slow bowler with a penchant for targeting the opposition’s best batsman, his “carrom” ball has outfoxed the best players of spin, including talismanic South African AB de Villiers. Ashwin wants to add more variety to his craft and sees nothing wrong in an off-spinner bowling an occasional leg-break.
“I always keep trying things,” the spinner told Times of India newspaper. “I feel if a batsman can play a reverse sweep, I can also bowl leg-break.