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Two in tandem
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M. Vijay and R. Ashwin warmed hearts with standout performances in Tamil Nadu's only win this season
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PHOTO: S.R. RAGHUNATHAN
SEASON'S SURPRISES R. Ashwin and M. Vijay
Two young men in their maiden Ranji Trophy season lit up an otherwise gloomy 2006-07 for Tamil Nadu cricket.
During a season in which the State side narrowly escaped relegation from the Super League, finishing above only Haryana in Group `A' courtesy a last-gasp win over Baroda in its final league game, M. Vijay and R. Ashwin warmed hearts with standout individual performances.
Vijay, with 628 runs from seven games, was the second-highest scorer in the Super League, behind Karnataka's Robin Uthappa. The opener made two hundreds this season. His second hundred, compiled on a difficult track at the ICL-Guru Nanak College ground in Chennai, was rated by coach W.V. Raman as one of the best by a Tamil Nadu batsman in recent times.
Vijay, 22, looks a well-organised batsman. With a high-batted stance and a steady head, Vijay collects runs with minimum fuss. There are few moving parts as he prepares to face the delivery, and consequently fewer things that can go wrong. He has a chaste defensive technique against medium-pacers, and plays spin with admirable skill and footwork— a rarity among opening batsmen.
Raman sees big things in the right-hander's future. "The most impressive thing about Vijay," says Raman, "is his ability to implement suggestions almost immediately. He tries out little things, thinks about them, and decides whether to use them or not. He is beginning to understand his game better."
Raman, however, cautions against expecting too much too soon. "The second season is always tougher than the first. You can capitalise on the fact that no one knows enough about you in the first season. But, by the second, most oppositions work you out."
Vijay will face sterner tests: how he copes with pace, quality swing and cut will determine how far he goes.
Confident bowler
Ashwin, 20, was the season's surprise. The hulking off-spinner, in his third year of engineering college, came from nowhere to finish with 31 wickets from just four games — fifth on the table of most Super League wickets. He took five wickets in an innings four times, and ten wickets in a match twice. His strike rate of 40.2 balls per wicket was exceptional.
Though his front-on delivery style isn't classical, Ashwin makes excellent use of his height. He braces his front leg during delivery to extract any bounce the track volunteers. He pivots just enough to turn the ball: this season, he often breached the gap between bat and pad, always an indication of drift and turn. He also bowls at a pace that makes stepping out tricky if not downright unfeasible.
"Ashwin is a very confident bowler," says Raman. "Granted he is not classical, but he surprises the batsman with bounce. He has some way to go in terms of having absolute control over his bowling, but many of his wickets this season were typical off-spinner's wickets, caught bat-pad or bowled through the gate. That's very encouraging."
Ashwin is also a capable lower-order batsman; his one weak suit, however, is his fielding. To have a realistic chance of moving up the ranks, he will need to work on his fitness.
Both men starred in Tamil Nadu's only win this season. The side's supporters will hope it's the first of many tandem acts.
S. RAM MAHESH
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