The 500th wicket of R Ashwin in the current Rajkot Test hints at the inevitable. It was unexpected and against the game’s flow that the milestone was reached in just his second over of the innings. With centurion Ben Duckett leading the assault against the Indian bowlers, the home team’s bowling attack had been mercilessly battered by the English hitters; Zak Crawley’s wicket was a rare bright spot.

Ashwin was no exception, being milked for 37 in seven overs, but that will not deter the 37-year-old spinner, who is now the second fastest in the world to reach the milestone in terms of Tests (98) and deliveries (25714) behind Glenn McGrath (25528). Ashwin wants the batsmen to attack him because they are aware of his bowling. He would also personally attack the batsman. His style is not bowling maidens.

With a strike rate of 51.4 and a career average of more than five wickets per Test match, Ashwin leads all Indian bowlers. Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami have slightly higher strike rates, but they have taken half as many wickets as Ashwin.

“He is by far the best Indian bowler, and it is not due to lack of effort or a desire for wickets. “Every day, every innings, every match, and every practice session, he would try something new, ask questions, and experiment with new ideas,” recalls Bharat Arun, a former India bowling coach who worked with Ashwin for over eight years. “We had several chats, and he is constantly trying new things and experimenting. They come off occasionally, but not always.”

Ashwin is constantly working to improve himself, both in terms of talents and fitness. Those who have followed him feel Ashwin was a different bowler when he toured Australia in 2021. During the six-month COVID-19 lockup, he altered himself, becoming more fit, smarter, and hungry. The pandemic did not deter his self-exploration.

In the series, he made an immediate impact with his bowling. In three Tests, he took 12 wickets, putting to rest doubters who claimed he would only take wickets in spin-friendly conditions. He took five wickets in the Melbourne Test, which helped India win. In addition to the wickets, he had a huge influence in that series. Ravi Shastri believes it was the best performance by an Indian team abroad.

“The quest for knowledge and newness is so ingrained in him that one evening he bowled 108 deliveries for his coach after bowling over 50 overs in a game.”South and West played a Duleep Trophy game at Chennai. Rahul (Dravid) led the South team. Ash bowled 55 overs in that innings, and I found him to be bowling along the middle stump line. That night, I called him to my nets and he bowled 108 deliveries in a row on the off-stump line I recommended,” remembers former Tamil Nadu spinner and former India manager Sunil Subramaniam, who coached Ashwin from 2007 to 2014.

The overall consensus regarding his bowling is that it took an extraordinary effort from an off-spinner to attain the milestone in so few games. Normally, a finger spinner is more restricting than penetrative, but Ashwin does not meet that description. He is both an off-spinner and the antithesis of it. A wrist spinner receives more rpm during delivery, which Ashwin, a finger spinner, is unable to achieve, but he more than makes up for it with his adjustments.

Based on statistics, Muralitharan is the best off-spinner; he employed more wrists than fingers. Like Nathan Lyon, the Sri Lankan would also use his body, in contrast to Ashwin, who depends more on his fingers, shoulder, and arm. “Very dexterous wrist,” remarks Subramaniam. “That is why he’s able to bowl all kinds of deliveries, like a carrom ball.”

He is obsessed with angles, different places of release, and degrees of turn-off the pitch. In the current series, he delivers the ball from around the wicket, which is unusual for off-spinners who often stay on the outside of the off-stump line. It is his strategy to counteract the Baseball style. On Friday, he wished he had bowled earlier. Duckett was already fifty years old when he debuted.

As an engineer, Ashwin relied heavily on his intelligence to calculate angles, lines, and twists. He is well-known for his academic approach to bowling. However, if you try to tell him that, he will not listen. “That is their opinion. I live my life for myself, and I am content with who I am in my flesh. That is it. I don’t read too much into it. Why should I wait for someone else to certify who I am?,” he added, rejecting the question on Thursday.

He would also like not to be asked if he might surpass Anil Kumble, India’s leading wicket-taker (619). “The answer is simple: no, 120 wickets away, guy. As I already stated, I want to live for every day. And you know I’m 37 years old. I’m not sure what’s in store for the next two months. You complete this series; what comes next? You don’t know. So, I don’t want to jump the gun. I’ve kept it this way for the past 4-5 years, and it’s been extremely simple. And it has worked for me. “Why change anything that works for you?” Ashwin asked.

Knowing him and his drive for achievement, excellence, and constant self-improvement, though, it’s possible that he can reach that goal.