'I used to copy Harbhajan Singh's action in gully cricket' - Ashwin explains his early inspiration

Ravichandran Ashwin has opened up about his early inspiration from Harbhajan Singh, revealing how the legendary off-spinner shaped his approach to cricket during his formative years. The discussion took place on a special episode that explored the evolution of sledging and banter in Indian cricket.

He explained that his fascination with Harbhajan's style began when he was playing Under-19 cricket under Dinesh Karthik's captaincy.

"Under Dinesh Karthik's captaincy, I played Under-19 cricket for the first time. Back then, I used to bat a bit, and didn't bowl as much. So, whenever I bowled, I used to bowl with Bhajju Pa's bowling action because I was genuinely a fan. When Bhajju Pa came onto the scene, every day I used to copy his action while playing gully cricket. And actually, his dismissal of Ricky Ponting, and the dismissal of Matthew Hayden while bowling from over the stumps, during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, I watched all those matches very closely," Ashwin said on JioHotstar's 'Cheeky Singles.

"But I never thought I'd become an off-spinner. In my mind, it was always batting. But when he used to bowl, there was something about him, his character, his ability to stand up to everyone and take the fight. So, I really liked that generation. I was genuinely a fan of him, and from there, I never imagined I would come this far," he added.

Ashwin also reflected on a moment involving England fast bowler James Anderson during a Test series in India. Anderson made a remark after Virat Kohli scored a double hundred in Mumbai, where India's first-innings total reached 631. Ashwin expressed his disappointment at Anderson's comment, which he felt lacked sportsmanship.

"Jimmy Anderson is a great bowler and bowled really well throughout his career, with unbelievable skills! They batted first and made 450-odd in the first innings in Mumbai. After that, we were 330 for six at one point before Virat smashed a magnificent double hundred. He completely took control and helped us overhaul their score, and we got to 630-odd," Ashwin said.

"We were about to inflict an innings defeat on them, and that very day, Anderson came for the press conference and said, 'This is India, let him come to England.' Man, how hard is it for you to give someone credit? So, I felt it was below the line. We have a lot of respect for him, but he shouldn't have said that," he added.

Also Read: Aakash Chopra wants India to bat aggressively and declare on Day 4 at Galle

Harbhajan Singh also participated in the discussion and shared his perspective on how the Indian Premier League has changed the nature of on-field banter in cricket. He acknowledged that the frequency of sledging has decreased since the IPL's arrival, but emphasised the importance of maintaining some level of competitive exchange.

"After the arrival of the IPL, the sledging and banter have reduced a bit because earlier, it used to happen a lot. But the IPL brought everyone closer as you share the dressing room with those players, you meet them regularly, play alongside them, and sit and chat together. But I feel that in sport, a little bit of banter, a bit of exchange, should be there, as long as it doesn't cross the line," Harbhajan said.