Watch the ball and you'll miss the hand. Watch the hand and you'll miss the ball. Watch both and you may just miss the whole plot.
It's the second one-day international between India and Australia in Indore. India are going to win. That's not the important part. For Ashwin this doomed runchase has become a deeply personal mission: a chance to convince India's selectors that, after more than 18 months out of the side, he is worth a place in the World Cup squad. Everything is pointed at this. He's been putting in marathon shifts at the national academy. He's been turning out in local games in Tamil Nadu. He's been staying out under the lights for extra batting practice. A bowler with more than 700 international wickets is still convinced that there is room for growth.
Warner, meanwhile, is trying to mess with him. He knows - or at least has a fair idea - that Ashwin averages 21 against left-handers and 30 against right-handers. So he shifts to a right-handed batting stance, negating Ashwin's advantage. He swipes a conventional sweep through backward square leg with the spin. At which point Ashwin decides, with a poker player's cunning, to change things up again.
This story is from the September 26, 2023 edition of The Guardian.
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This story is from the September 26, 2023 edition of The Guardian.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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