R Ashwin: ‘I’ve always been good at assessing batsmen, but now I think I’ve taken it to another level

• Prepare yourself mentally as much as you prepare yourself physically: “There are two aspects of preparation. One is physical and the other is mental and tactical. I don’t think people lay enough emphasis on the tactical stuff. Not saying tactical preparation is mandatory, because I have played in cricket environments where people mostly want to rely on their abilities, their strengths, rather than focusing on tactics…. Before getting into any series, I go into a four-week training. In the morning I focus entirely on my mobility and my injury-struck areas. Sling sort of work, fascia sort of work. I get into holding positions. Then two hours later, after breakfast, I go into strength training where I build my big-bang muscles. In the evening, alternate days I run, alternate days, I do skill….”
• Know the opposition better than they know themselves: “When England came to India, I watched their whole Sri Lanka series without missing one ball. I would immediately go back to Hari [the India analyst] and ask him what speed [Lasith] Embuldeniya was bowling, what speed Dilruwan [Perera] was bowling, what percentage of balls were within the stumps. We have this app where we can sort, so I watched again all the Dilruwan Perera videos. For example, Joe Root will not block two balls in a row. He’s got a slightly vulnerable defence, and I think he knows that. Or he’s constantly on the move. So every time he defends a ball comfortably outside off, the next ball will be a sweep…

• Use your setbacks to ramp up your intensity levels up: “I revisit my experiences, how somebody has played me, what have been their go-to shots, how they milked me if they milked me, how am I going to produce something different. What has worked, what has not worked. That is what process and result is, right? Just simply repeating the process is not process. So this has worked, fine stick to this. This has not worked, can I throw in something else? In the case of, say, Steven Smith, he is someone who thinks. Like after the first Test [where Smith was caught on the crease and edged to slip], the second instance, he came searching for the ball on the front foot. That was a reaction to the first [dismissal]. So if you know someone is searching for excellence, they will try and find a solution. And you can be prepared for that solution.”
• Use mentors and counselling to manage trauma: “How did you manage the trauma? I’ve got a mentor I’m deeply indebted to. The first thing you do when you go through this is to feel victimised. It is the easiest, most human, thing that you can do. Once you get through that sort of feeling, you get a lot of clarity. For every person that becomes a victim, there are so many people you can blame. But if you’ve got the tenacity and the will power to keep working, you will automatically go beyond the barriers of people.

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