Ashwin speaks Frankly..!!!

Inspiration - "Harbhajan is one of my childhood heroes, if the captain thinks I am good enough to partner him, I would grab it," Ashwin says. "It's just a stereotype, a pre-conceived notion that two offspinners can't play. We are different type of bowlers and I guess it will also come down to the opponents and the pitch that we play."

"I saw Mendis bowl at Chepauk. This was before he went on to play for Sri Lanka. I went home that day and told my father that I saw someone who was flicking the leather ball with his fingers like how we do in tennis-ball cricket." The carom ball is called the soduku ball in Chennai's gully cricket. Inspired, Ashwin set about trying to replicate it. "Nothing went right. It would land short and I was thrashed in the nets."

Ashwin's Coach Raman - "It took him two-three years to mature and develop good control over his stock delivery. He has learnt to vary his length; that's why people are finding it difficult to go after him. I still think he still needs to keep reminding himself that a hallmark of a good bowler is to bowl a good line and length consistently for the entire duration of the game."

Who is the best...?

"When I started to bowl with the new ball in IPL, people said 'he is a new-ball specialist and doesn't do as well in middle overs.' When I bowled well in middle overs, they then said, 'he doesn't bowl in death.' I know that these are part and parcel of a cricketer's life. I just have to focus on consistently honing my art."

About his batting - "I cannot deny the fact that I have under achieved as a batsman. I would love to turn it around. If I am not an asset to the team, I would rather not be in the team."