Sivaramakrishnan's tips helped leg-spinner deliver at her best
KOCHI: Asha Sobhana started playing cricket at the age of 13 after watching former India spinner Neetu David’s bowling on TV. She made it to the Kerala senior women’s team a year later.
Though Asha made it to the India ‘A’ squad in 2012 and 2018, she couldn’t progress to the senior national squad and after toiling for various teams in domestic cricket for more than 18 years, she thought of quitting the game two years back. But on the insistence of Puducherry coach Shweta Mishra, who was with Asha in an India U-19 camp earlier, Asha decided to switch allegiance to Puducherry. The decision proved to be game-changing for Asha’s career as the talent scouts of RCB, impressed with her all round skills, signed her for Rs 10 lakh for the inaugural WPL.
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The first WPL season wasn’t memorable for Asha as she could only bag five wickets in five matches as RCB exited early. However, she was a transformed bowler this time, playing a significant part in RCB’s title triumph with 12 wickets from 10 games, making her the joint second-highest wicket-taker. “It’s been an amazing three weeks, it has been life changing,” the girl from Peroorkada in Thiruvananthapuram told TOI .
The five-wicket haul in RCB’s opening match against UP Warriorz and defending 12 runs of the final over against MI in the Eliminator were the defining moments of her performance.
“I enjoyed both. The two efforts came in different pressure situations. I noticed early that when spinners bowled quicker through the air, they were getting hit. So I decided to flight the ball and bowl slower.”
Asha believes the three day stint she had with former India leg-spinner L Sivaramakrishnan in Chennai before the WPL worked wonders. “After watching me bowl last year, Siva sir had tweeted that he would like to coach me without charging any fee. I decided to explore that option and had six sessions with him in January. He is a genius and is very knowledgeable about the art of spin. I learnt a lot from him and tried to execute some of those in WPL,” she said.
Sivaramakrishnan is delighted with Asha’s performance. “We worked on her action. I tried to bring her back leg parallel to the crease so that she is more side-on when she bowls. I also told her about the usage of the crease and worked on her non-bowling arm. We also tried to develop eight different types of deliveries so that she could use six of those in an over,” Sivaramakrishnan told TOI.
Though she is 33, Asha's WPL performances have reignited her dream of playing for India. "That dream of wearing the Indian jersey is always there as long as you play. Right now, I just want to enjoy the game. Because as a kid, that's what you play the game for," said the daughter of an autorickshaw driver.
1/6:WPL 2024: RCB win their first WPL title
AFP
2/6:Shafali Verma
<p>Shafali Verma showcased her destructive prowess in the initial overs, scoring 44 runs off 27 balls with 2 fours and 3 sixes. However, RCB's spinners stole the spotlight later on.<br /></p>PTI
3/6:Sophie Molineux
<p>RCB halted DC's momentum as Molineux claimed three crucial wickets in the eighth over, dismissing Shafali Verma, Jemmimah Rodrigues, and Alice Capsey.<br /></p>PTI
4/6:Shreyanka Patil
<p>Shreyanka Patil claimed the Purple Cap as the top wicket-taker, securing 13 wickets overall. Her stellar performance in the final, taking four wickets for just 12 runs, sealed her victory.<br /></p>PTI
5/6:Smriti Mandhana and Ellyse Perry
<p>Ellyse Perry clinched the Orange Cap as the leading run-scorer with 347 runs in the tournament. Her unbeaten 35 runs in the final propelled RCB to victory, cementing her role in their success.<br /></p>PTI
