Consider myself one of the best, if not the best spinner in T20s, states Ravichandran Ashwin

A young Ravichandran Ashwin, almost a decade ago, burst onto the scene in the Indian Premier League, bamboozling batsmen with his variations. The Tamil Nadu star was one of the first spinners to have bowled in the powerplay in T20 cricket and through his IPL stardom, he shot his way into the Indian team and established himself as one of the best white-ball bowlers in the world.

However, times have changed now and ironically, the 33-year-old is seen as a red-ball specialist, having last played for India in white-ball cricket way back in 2017. However, the veteran spinner is in no mood of giving up and firmly believes that he has time on his side, adding that he still sees himself as one of the best in the business.

"I consider myself one of the best, if not the best spinner in Twenty20 cricket. I had a very good IPL last year. I don’t think age is a factor. Imran Tahir is 40. I have the variety and the experience. My hopes are alive," Ashwin told Sportstar.

Having struggled with injuries in the past 18 months, Ashwin has finally enjoyed uninterrupted action in the past few months, playing both international and county cricket regularly. The 33-year-old admitted that he was happy to just be bowling again and stated that all he wanted to do was enjoy the game and that bowling served as a therapy for him.

"I am just enjoying my bowling. I am like a 10-year-old when I have the ball in my hands. Nothing gives me greater joy. Bowling is like therapy to me. It connects me to my inner self. I am not the same person I was. I am not as intense as before. I just want to bring the joy back," he said.

Ashwin enjoyed a perfect series against the Proteas, scalping 15 wickets, including a 7-wicket haul, helping his team complete a 3-0 cleansweep in the process. The offie revealed that the ball was coming out of his hand like a dream, with him shifting his focus solely on regulation off-spin rather than variations.

Ashwin also added that he was more than content to be helping the team just with the ball, as despite being in good touch with the bat in domestic cricket, opportunities with the bat for India have been few and far between.

"I have always focused on off-spin, got 80 to 90 per cent of wickets with it. I have dismissed a lot of right-handers. I am fit and the ball is coming out from the hand like a dream. I am not thinking too much technically. I ran into some very good batting form too at county cricket but have lately not received too many opportunities for India."  

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