Ashwin the unassuming superhero

Bengaluru, November 27: The celebration of R Ashwin did not have brazenness about it after picking up his record-breaking 300th Test wicket at Nagpur on Monday (November 27).

Ashwin had every reason to be over the top. His 300th Test victim (Lahiru Gamage) helped him go past some legendary names such as Shane Warne, Dennis Lillee, Muttiah Muralitharan and Richard Hadlee. It fetched India a resounding victory and a 1-0 lead in the series.

Nagpur Test: Clinical India trounce Sri Lanka by an innings and 239 runs, take 1-0 lead

Ashwin reaches 300 Test wickets: Fastest bowler to the mark

But Ashwin's celebration contained just a few warm handshakes and hugs with his teammates. In more private environs, Ashwin and his colleagues may let their hair down later. But leave that to them!

300th test wicket at the Jamtha (Nagpur) ,a memorable day. Thank you all🙏@imVkohli look forward to the next 18 months. pic.twitter.com/hjtdVXndSI

— Ashwin Ravichandran (@ashwinravi99) November 27, 2017

In fact, that's the beauty of Ashwin - the ability to reinvent himself without sacrificing his self. When he started off as a future star in the Indian Premier League and during his initial years with the Indian team, Ashwin resembled a scientist who is eager to achieve the desired result through various experiments. But that without the same accuracy or clarity.

Perhaps, his mind was in tangles, the sort of confusion that accompanies the youth, to effectively employ his skillset and variations. However, after a changed action to sort out his alignment at the bowling crease and lessons in putting more body behind the ball with Bharat Arun, India's current bowling coach, Ashwin is a different force.

Now, Ashwin has blended his imaginative mind with the worldly needs on a cricket ground, a perfect union of art and science. He does not really bamboozle the batsmen and spectators like Muralitharan and Warne with massive turn and theatrics.

He just outfoxes the batsmen. A perfect specimen was the torment Kumar Sangakkara was subjected to by Ashwin in the latter's farewell series in 2015. The master left-hander from Sri Lanka did not have many answers to the guile of Ashwin, falling to him in all four innings. Ashwin is the only bowler to have dismissed Sangakkara four times in a row in a series.

But Ashwin's presence in the Indian team is as imposing as his numbers. His efforts had prompted former Australian captain Steve Waugh to term the Chennaite 'Bradman of bowling.'

Even if you take out the superlative quotient out of Waugh's words, it's clear that the touring teams are now thinking about how to ward off the threat from Ashwin. The situation is akin to the 90s when visitors were frightened at the prospect of facing Anil Kumble on Indian pitches.

Congratulations India on a comprehensive victory. Many congratulations to @ashwinravi99 on becoming the fastest to reach 300 Test Wickets.

— VVS Laxman (@VVSLaxman281) November 27, 2017

But cynics will always jump to the point that Ashwin in the last couple of years - his most productive phase yet - plied his trade in the subcontinent. And his biggest test will come when India tour abroad from January 2018 - a way of prognosticating failure.

Till now, Ashwin has collected 78 wickets from 19 Tests abroad and 32 of them came against Sri Lanka from five Tests at 22.81. But if you look more deeply, he has played six Tests in Australia (21 wickets), four in the West Indies (17 wickets), not at all bad figures in isolation, two in England (3 wickets) and just one each in South Africa (no wicket) and Bangladesh (5 wickets) and none in New Zealand.

Fewest Tests to 300 wkts:
54 R ASHWIN
56 D Lillee
58 M Muralitharan
61 R Hadlee/ M Marshall/ D Steyn
63 S Warne/ A Donald
64 A Donald#INDvSL #Ash300

— Cricket Fever (@Crick_fever257) November 27, 2017

November 27,1981: Lillee became the fastest to take 300 Test wickets

November 27,2017: Ashwin broke Lillee's record to become the fastest to 300 Test wickets. #INDvSL

— Umang Pabari (@UPStatsman) November 27, 2017

In 2018, Ashwin will get more chances in those nations and let's not be too judgmental. After all, had we pilloried Kumble for his away record in the early phase of his career before the Bangalorean changed the script from the tour of England in 2002 and Australia in 2004. Ashwin still has plenty of time.

It's certain that India's hosts in the coming months will be devoting lot of hours to find ways to muzzle Ashwin. For they know that, however modest Ashwin sounds about it, he's central to India's success in Tests.

After all, unassuming people too can be superheroes.