IND vs BAN: How Baseball-Inspired batting helped R Ashwin launch counter-attack against Bangladesh

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Just a couple of days ago, local boy Ravichandran Ashwin turned 38 and he gave a complete birthday treat to the spectators with the innings of the highest order in the ongoing Chepauk Test against Bangladesh.

The Tamil Nadu-born stole the spotlight on the first day's play by scoring his sixth Test century. In the first innings, when the majority of the batters fell prey to cheap scores, Ravi Ashwin was a shining light on the first day's play. Some of the shots he executed were a treat to the fans and the players in the dressing room.

Even head coach Gautam Gambhir was taken aback by Ashwin's shot selection and his reaction of the same went viral on the internet. What really made the knock special was the manner in which he accelerated the innings as the game progressed. The way he consciously batted aggressively on a red-soil pitch was a sight to behold.

Among all of his six Test centuries, the recent one was his quickest as he maintained a strike-rate in excess of 90. After the end of the first day's play, the senior pro said that he has worked on his batting and that he wants to play an attacking brand of cricket like how Rishabh Pant goes after the ball.

Ravi Ashwin picks up batting lessons between baseball and cricket

Well, a sudden enhancement in Ravi Ashwin's batting is no surprise by any means because, over the past year, the veteran has been dedicating extra time to fine-tune his batting, so much that he even jetted off to USA (Seattle) to study the mechanics of baseball's bat and ball dynamics.

In a recent discussion on his YouTube channel ahead of the Test, the experienced cricketer revealed that he has developed a deep understanding of the pitch, dropping a hint that he is well-prepared for the challenge. Notably, he braved the challenges and came through with flying colours. He scored 113 off 133 with the help of 11 fours and two sixes to his counter-punching technique.

"It's an old Chennai surface with a bit of bounce and carry. The red soil pitch allows you to play a few shots if you are willing to just get in line and give it a bit of a tonk when there's width," Ravi Ashwin told the host broadcasters after Day 1's proceedings.