Ravichandran Ashwin has been known to constantly improvise and tweak his game in order to stay two steps ahead of the batsman. From perfecting the carrom ball to bowling occasional leg spinners or full-fledged medium pacers, the spinner has always found a trick up his sleeve to outfox the batsman.

He added another trick to his repertoire in his second match of the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) on Monday, as he delivered a ball with his non-bowling arm remaining unmoved.

Playing for the Dindigul Dragons against the Madurai Panthers, Ashwin delivered a ball much before completing his full bowling action, releasing it without any movement from his non-bowling hand. The spinner’s ingenuity completely dumbfounded batsman Kiran Akash, who attempted to smash the flighted delivery for a six, only to be caught at long on. Skipper Ashwin ended the game with figures of 3/16 as his side emerged victorious by 30 runs.

Earlier in the game, Ashwin, who captains Kings XI Punjab in the VIVO Indian Premier League, promoted himself up the order to bat at number three, smashing 16 off just seven deliveries. The off-spinner did so in the previous game as well, top scoring for his team with 37 runs off just 19 balls to continue his good vein of form following a successful county stint.

Ashwin’s side Dindigul Dragons are currently top of the table in the TNPL after back-to-back wins, with a game against the Tuti Patriots scheduled next on Saturday.

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