The 22-year-old Chennai lad has made rapid strides over the last one year and figures in the list of 30 probables for the World Twenty20 in England. A product of tennis-ball cricket, Ashwin, like Mendis, is a finger spinner.

“I saw Mendis bowling with the flick of his fingers to good effect. I backed myself to bowl those and found I was very good at that. I also use the flipper as my variation and rely more on accuracy rather than turning the ball square,” he says.

Representing the Chennai Super Kings, Ashwin looks up to another Sri Lankan Muttiah Muralitharan but says he won’t be adding the doosra to his armoury. “I don’t want the doosra, my action and style of bowling doesn’t suit it. However, I learn other things from Murali. He understands my brand of off-spin and tells me when to use the craft and variations. He told the importance to bowl slow to foreign players and be a bit quicker through the air against Indians,” he says.

Ashwin, who played for India under-17 as a batsman, says he’s not concerned about the shift. “I know where I am good, whether it’s batting and bowling. As long as I have it clear in my mind, it doesn’t really matter. During my India under-17 matches, I had decent scores under my belt, right now I’m an off-spinner who can contribute with the bat,” he says.

Despite making Chennai’s playing XI in the inaugural game against Mumbai Indians, the youngster has come to terms with the disappointment of not bowling in the match. “I think it was the right decision because the ball was zipping around, and the seamers were more effective. I’m really not thinking too much about that match. I’m just looking forward to the next opportunity. It maybe 10-12 games or just 4-5 games, but I am determined to make a mark in the IPL,” he says.