No one has shown the inside of Chennai cricket like Ravichandran Ashwin.
David Frith described the unusual way Australian spinner Jack Iverson bowled: “He flicked the ball like throwing away a burnt-out cigarette.” Iverson used his bent middle finger and thumb to spin the ball, a technique he practiced with a table tennis ball.
Years later in Chennai, Ashwin learned a similar move with a tennis ball, making it spin the other way. He called it the sodakku ball, named after the clicking sound made by the thumb and middle finger. In his book, “I Have the Streets,” Ashwin shares that some Sri Lankan bowlers, like Rangana Herath, also use this technique. Later, it’s known as the carrom ball.
It’s rare for a top-level bowler to keep trying new ways to bowl during his career, but Ashwin does. He says, “When it comes to cricket, I am basically made of questions.”
Ravichandran Ashwin’s journey began on the streets of Chennai with a team called RUCA (Ramakrishnapuram Underarm Cricket Association). Ashwin even includes short bios of his teammates, like a player nicknamed Peter Schedule, who once bowled a 28-ball over.
Ravichandran Ashwin, with the help of cricket writer Sidharth Monga, captures the passion, madness, humor, friendships, and self-belief of Chennai cricket. Having lived in Chennai in the 1980s, I recognize this unique mix.
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Nicknames were common. A bowler named ‘Tyte’ ran in like fast bowler Frank Tyson but bowled like spinner Gupte. The term ‘arakozhi’ was used to describe a half-hearted cricket stroke.
“Whenever I lose something in life,” Ashwin writes, “when I see no other light, I turn to this cricket in our street with some of my best friends. Everything changes, but not the joy I experience when I play here.”
The book also covers his medical issues, falling in love, relationships with other players, and arguments. When told he would be playing alongside stars like Dhoni, Muttiah Muralitharan, and Matthew Hayden after getting his first IPL contract, Ashwin thought, “I am not here to rub shoulders. I am here to show that I belong here.”
He also admits, “One place I don’t belong is at the IPL after-match parties.” This mix of confidence and humility reflects Chennai cricket perfectly.
