R Ashwin fails to make any impression on pitch of variable bounce

Daryl Cullinan had told TOI before the Test that the pace at which Ashwin bowls won't be effective on South African pitches. (AFP Photo)

DURBAN: The Wanderers Test was memorable for most Indian players, but R Ashwin was not one of them. When the cameras zoomed onto the pitch on the final day, the wide cracks were there for all to see. 

There was talk in the South African camp that Ashwin could be the X-factor on the final day. His returns of 0-83, though, wasn't anything to talk about. 

MS Dhoni doesn't usually criticize his teammates, but his post-match comment on his premier spinner said it all. "In a 3-1 bowling combination, when the spinner goes out of the picture, it becomes a lot of hard work for the pacers," the skipper rued. 

The Chennai offie, who holds the Indian record of being the quickest to 100 Test wickets, had spoken about the bounce here pitches that he enjoys and his intense preparation ahead of the series. But Sunday's performance, on a pitch with variable bounce and big cracks, didn't reflect the homework he may have put in. 

Daryl Cullinan had told TOI before the Test that the pace at which Ashwin bowls won't be effective on South African pitches. "He has to look to hit the deck and extract turn, otherwise South Africans will have it easy against him," Cullinan had said. 

On the final day of the first Test, Ashwin couldn't do that. The offie had met Ravi Shastri ahead of the Test for advice on how to bowl on these pitches. Ashwin followed Shastri's tips - don't experiment too much and stick to a line - but what let him down was the failure to extract spin with his stock ball. 

But for one leg-before appeal that was turned down against AB de Villiers, Ashwin couldn't make any impression during the 205-run partnership that almost took the game away from India. 

Shastri defended Ashwin. "To be honest, there wasn't much Ashwin could have done on this pitch. A spinner needs to bowl at a decent pace to get something out of this track. "He would have been a real match-winner here... Even a young Harbhajan Singh, with his lethal doosra, could have been effective," Shastri said. 

Some felt Ashwin mostly bowled from the wrong end. JP Duminy got some turn operating from the other side, Golf Course End, on the fourth day, and picked up the important wicket of Virat Kohli.
 

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