Ramachandra Guha: Ashwin’s bowling skills stand out – so why does his memoir show him with a bat

When I saw the cover of R Ashwin’s cricketing memoir, I was struck by the fact that it had the author in whites, sitting with his hands clasped expectantly around the handle of a bat. It was as if he was waiting for a wicket to fall, to stride purposefully from the dressing room into the ground.

Now I understand that Ashwin can bat. Long before his memoir was published, it was common knowledge that in schoolboy cricket he was known more for his ability to score runs than take wickets. I haven’t myself seen Ashwin play much in the flesh – I mostly watch Test cricket and, for some reason, Bangalore doesn’t get to host Test matches nowadays – yet have abiding memories of watching him on television, bat in hand. In my mind’s eye, I can see him stand tall to a fast bowler and force the ball elegantly off the back foot past point. And I can see him skip deftly down the track to the spinner and loft the ball over the bowler’s head to the sight screen.

Neither of these two shots figured much in what may be the two most consequential innings played by Ashwin in Test cricket....

Read more