The outlier known as Ravichandran Ashwin

​“A person or thing that is different from or in a position away from others in the group.” That is how the Oxford Learner dictionary defines the word outlier which is difficult to use for an Indian cricketer unless you want to use it for Ravichandran Ashwin. Of course, on the cricket field one may hesitate to use ‘outlier’ for the Chennai spinner however if you closely follow his actions and utterances, it perfectly makes the sense. To articulate one’s emotion and thought with the precision of a surgeon on many sensitive issues or on seemingly controversial topics with an ease which is associated with his fluid bowling action makes him an ‘un-Indian’ cricketer in many ways. The only exceptions would probably be Sunil Gavaskar (who always speaks strongly against the English bias) or the mercurial Bishan Singh Bedi (who took on even the iconic name like Muttiah Muralitharan on his controversial action)

The 34-year-old Ashwin is such a refreshing voice in Indian cricket where even the mightiest names always try to play it safe and not do or say anything in public which may invite any sort of criticism. Admirably, the former Kings Punjab captain is a rare figure in Indian cricket fraternity who is not afraid to take a firm stand on the grey areas of cricket and other walks of life even if it may be an unpopular one or a politically incorrect stance.  Doubtless, Ashwin is not a prisoner of the Anglo-Australian evaluation system which unfortunately mostly decides what the spirit of the game is and how it should be played often forgetting that the game of cricket may still about bat confronting the ball but it has changed immeasurably. That cricket is no longer a gentleman’s game doesn’t need to be repeated here.

Sometimes it seems so weird that more than the rules of the game cricket makes so much fuss regarding the indescribable ‘spirit of the game’. One of the finest cricket writers of the modern era, the venerable Peter Roebuck once wrote so eloquently exposing the double standard of the Anglo-Australian section of cricket. “Cricket talks about its special spirit and by doing so announces a lofty ambition. Whether it is sensible to do so is another matter. Spirit is notoriously difficult to define,” wrote Roebuck in his piece for Espncricinfo.com more than a decade back.  That is almost the essence of what Ashwin has said in his series of tweets this week which has once again polarised the cricketing world.

Of course, this is not the first time (and certainly won’t be the last time either) that Ashwin has rattled the Anglo-Australian section of cricket world which by default think that they own the game. Last year, Ashwin’s run-out of Rajasthan Royal’s Jos Buttler came in for huge criticism, so much so that even Ashwin’s IPL coach Ricky Ponting wasn’t too happy with him. And yet Ashwin stood with his conviction and Ponting had no option but to belatedly embrace Ashwin’s arguments as well.

The recent taunt of being disgraceful by England and KKR captain Eoin Morgan also provoked everyone once more. So much so that Shane Warne sitting 10000 kilometres away also started giving moral lectures on the spirit of the game to Ashwin. “ The world shouldn’t be divided on this topic and Ashwin. It’s pretty simple - it’s disgraceful & should never happen. Why does Ashwin have to be that guy again ? I think @Eoin16 had every right to nail him !!!!,” wondered and thundered Warne on Twitter. But did anyone ever ask “why it has to be the Australians only when it comes to take pride in being ugly, bully or the champion of mental disintegration (infamously propagated by Steve Waugh) theories by bringing an abhorring culture of sledging in cricket?”

Perhaps, that is still understandable when Ashwin had to cope with unfair criticisms from overseas experts but when it comes from his former team-mates, one can also sense the hidden agenda of many players who never were comfortable with this outlier of Indian cricket.  A former India opener Virender Sehwag speaking to Cricbuzz.com,  recalled how Ashwin blew dirt after dismissing Glenn Maxwell, in a send-off to the batsman, while playing for Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Sehwag, who was at the other end of the crease, claimed that Dhoni wasn't impressed with this act and even scolded the bowler for it.  "When I was playing for Punjab, Ashwin dismissed Maxwell and then he picked up some dust and blew at him. I didn't like that. But I never came out and spoke publicly about whether what he did was wrong or against the 'Spirit of the game', though MS Dhoni got angry and even scolded him." This is clearly the case of one man’s word against another since Dhoni is never going to say on this issue. He is never going to confirm or deny it and Sehwag knows that he too can get away by mentioning Dhoni’s name. Have you ever heard Viru saying something adverse about his old friends from the Northern part of India?   It’s a deliberate ploy in many ways since Ashwin’s frank opinions in Indian dressing rooms had few takers in the past as the culture of ‘yes boss’ almost prevails in every walk of Indian life. Not much seems to have changed in the Virat Kohli era since it is also said that the captain too has issues with Ashwin’s ‘revolutionary ideas’ in the dressing room.

The idea here is not to push the case for Ashwin being a saint. If we are not able to comprehend Ashwin’s definition of ‘spirit of cricket’ it is our problem and not his. To castigate a modern legend of Indian cricket for just being an outlier perhaps doesn’t do justice to his stature. Fittingly, it is high time for all of us to replace the word spirit with respect as Roebuck said so profoundly all those years ago. “Perhaps "spirit" is the wrong word. It sounds superior. It's not really about walking or talking. It's about respect for opponents and the game itself. Forget about the vaunted spirit of the game. Respect holds the key.”