R Ashwin can learn a lot from Nathan Lyon if he wants to become India's strike bowler overseas

India may have clinched a tight series against Australia, but in the battle of the team’s two off-spinners it was Nathan Lyon, not Ravichandran Ashwin, who came out on top.

While this may seem surprising considering that Ashwin has now come to be regarded as one of the greatest spinners the game has seen, and has career statistics that dwarf Lyon’s, a deeper analysis of the game would suggest that it isn’t all that unexpected.

In the series, Ashwin averaged 27.38 with the ball and took a wicket every 64 deliveries. Lyon clearly out-bowled him, averaging 25.26 and striking every 52 balls. The margin may not seem big but, considering that Ashwin was playing in home conditions against a team that has shown some serious weaknesses against spin, and was having the season of his life, one is bound to wonder whether he stands to learn something from his Aussie counterpart.

That Ashwin is barely half as effective against right-handers as he is against left-handers is a well-known fact, but rarely do we see analysts give us any insight into this aspect of his bowling. In the series against Australia, the reason behind this became extremely clear. Comparisons between Ashwin’s and Lyon’s pitch maps clearly showed that Ashwin bowls much straighter to right-handers than Lyon, who sticks to a classical fifth stump line.

Talent vs accuracy

The advantage this gives Lyon is that he keeps the lbw and bowled dismissals in play, thereby making the batsman play at every ball, which also increases the chances of edges that carry to bat-pad positions, as well as the slips. On the other hand, Ashwin’s straight line to right-handers is relatively easier to negotiate, since the ball almost always turns too much to get the batsman out lbw or bowled.

What Lyon lacks in raw talent, he makes up for in accuracy and technique. Pitch map comparisons also revealed that he was far more accurate than Ashwin. In almost every game, Lyon could be seen pitching the ball repeatedly in a close grouping between good and full length at around fifth stump to right-handers. In Ashwin’s case, you didn’t even need a pitch map to tell that he was being too wavered to both right- and left-handers, as he gave at least one or two loose balls every over.

Lyon’s technique was yet another topic of discussion in the series. His follow-through was described as terrific by former Indian player Laxman Sivaramakrishnan, who said that Lyon’s back leg went in the direction of the ball in his follow-through, ensuring that he put his entire body behind the delivery. It was this that enabled him to be more accurate and impart more revolutions to the ball.

While Ashwin has played more than a quarter of his matches outside Asia, he has taken only a seventh of his wickets there. Lyon’s accuracy and technique have proven him to be much more successful outside Asia than Ashwin.

Adaptability

Far more important than accuracy or technique, however, is adaptability. The Pune Test was a great win for Australia, but it was an even greater win for the Australian spinners, who made the top two bowlers in the world look almost incompetent. While the Indian spinners did not realise that on a pitch that turned square, they needed to be much fuller to give the ball a chance to catch an edge, Lyon and O’Keefe knew exactly what to do. O’Keefe may have outshone Lyon, but the offie proved his ability to adjust to conditions that were completely alien to him.

Ravichandran Ashwin is probably the best finger spinner in the world today. His record in the subcontinent is magnificent. He is blessed with the holy trinity that make a spinner great – drift, dip, and turn. However, it must not be forgotten that his record outside Asia leaves a lot to be desired. He is one match short of playing his 50th Test, which means that he no longer has the benefit of being considered a youngster who can take his time to improve certain aspects of his game.

The next leg of Indian cricket will be the team’s biggest challenge, because they have the opportunity of distinguishing themselves from previous Indian teams who were great at home, but failed to post wins overseas. India’s most crucial weapon for this campaign will not be a pacer, but their star spinner. But if they want Ashwin to become their strike bowler overseas, then there is a lot he can learn from Lyon.