While Ravi Ashwin might be one of the revered bowlers in the longer formats of the game, his stock has drastically dropped in the limited overs version of the game. Indeed, the usually first-choice Test spinner is having to wait in the shades with Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzi Chahal taking the reins in the spin department of India in the ODIs.

However, that hasn’t disheartened the off-spinner, who now wants to bowl leg-breaks as a means to add something to new to his arsenal. Ashwin has stated that he used to bowl them while playing domestic cricket in Chennai, but he had to trim it down to focus on his main strength.

"This is part of my plan going into the IPL. I am just trying to build my armoury. I used to bowl good legbreaks with my offspin action when I was playing league cricket in Chennai. Over a period of time, in a search to get my stock ball right, I obviously had to cut out a lot of those things.

“I had possessed a lot more variations. Having bowled off-break as the stock ball for almost 10 years, trying to change things around is challenging. But I don't really settle for anything. At no point in my career, I thought 'this is it' and decided to settle for the rest of my career."

When a player tries something new like this, he is usually helped by experienced coaches. Ashwin, however, revealed that he is currently working alone, with the occasional help from former India pace bowler L. Balaji.

He also mentioned that he wants to come up with a bowling action that allows him to be flexible and shift through off-spin and leg-spin seamlessly.

"As of now everything is cooked by me. I try to take feedback from our coaches in my academy. L Balaji has been of great help. First time I was bowling legspin, we were working on some actions on how to gain momentum. How I can make a repeatable action work for me?

“For example, my arm doesn't go 45 degrees which is perfect for a leg spinner. I am more upright. I have to adjust my action. It has been a painful ride. One day it will come out well in the nets, and the next day it won't come out all right. It will be frustrating. I have gone through the entire journey and have reached a place where I can land the ball where I want to."

Finally, he spoke about the sadness of leaving Chennai Super Kings for Kings XI Punjab, stating that Chennai was like a home where the fans adored him. However, he also believes that he will be more motivated than ever when facing Chennai.