Ashwin at 100, cue for another long haul?

With athletes world over pushing the age barrier, Ashwin breaching the 40-year mark isn’t a far fetched possibility

Pat Cummins isn’t beating around the bush. He wants Nathan Lyon, 36, to play for at least four more years. And it’s only obvious, considering how Lyon has been one of Australia’s most consistent match winners and is currently the world’s most prolific spinner. “The only barrier really is his body, so if he looks after his body and makes sure he's right for 10 Test matches a year, or whatever it is, I'd absolutely love him to play until 2027," said Cummins after Australia's first Test win against New Zealand last week. "And I don't think there's much that's going to get in his way.”

Ravichandran Ashwin joins the elite list in Dharamsala with his 100th Test.

Could the same, and probably more, be envisaged about Ravichandran Aswhin as well? Already 37, Ashwin has had his fair share of injuries. But he has shown no sign of slowing down. Four five-wicket hauls in 2023, another already in this year, backed by astounding averages and some match-altering innings with the bat, Ashwin continues to be integral to India’s indomitable run. Age certainly doesn’t seem to be a hindrance when you see James Anderson still going strong at 41. Rangana Herath played his last Test at 40, Muttiah Muralitharan, Anil Kumble bowled till they were 38. So precedence isn’t an issue.

World over too, more and more athletes are willing to push the boundaries. If the 36-year old Novak Djokovic defends his US Open title this September, he will topple Ken Rosewall as the oldest Grand Slam winner in the Open era. Serena Williams was a few weeks shy of 41 when she played her final professional match in 2022, Sue Bird was 42 when she retired from the WNBA, American football quarterback Tom Brady was 45 when he played his final season for the Tampa Bay Bucanneers; and Ronaldo is still putting bulges in the back of the net at 39.

What drives these outstanding athletes to push themselves? Achievements and landmarks can only motivate till a certain point. Beyond that prevails an unequivocal love for the game. Sachin Tendulkar and Federer are living proof of it. Ashwin is cut from the same cloth. “I can’t see Ashwin staying away from cricket,” WV Raman, Ashwin’s coach at Tamil Nadu, told HT in a recent interview. “He might even resort to playing tennis ball cricket with kids after a few years. He is absolutely cricket mad.”

Like Tendulkar or Federer, trust Ashwin to also not let age blunt his instincts or the will to keep reinventing his game. Two months of IPL and the rest of the year largely devoted to Tests, Ashwin’s career graph hasn’t thrown up many white-ball surprises in the last two years. Yet, Ashwin has never stopped learning, be it while turning out for Dindigul Dragons or just at his academy ground when he isn’t touring with the India team. Every trick, every elaborate ploy or setup that you see at the highest level traces its roots back here. A higher cricket IQ, knowing the limits of his body and a more defined role have already helped Ashwin maintain significant influence without depending on sheer athleticism. Little more fine tuning and there’s no reason he can’t play in the 40s like Anderson.

In many ways, the increasing longevity of the middle-aged athlete is also a triumph for sports science, serving as a combination of data analysis, feedback and nuanced physical adaptation.

Anderson still bowls at 41 largely because of an evolved understanding of the sport. His concept of fitness entails not only high-intensity workouts but also careful workload management and a detailed consideration of what he eats throughout the year. Which is why Anderson had the ECB’s nutritionist send him meals for the week to his house when England’s cricketers were preparing to come out of Covid-19 lockdowns.

But there’s age, and then there’s fitness age. And Anderson is an exception when you see how time hasn’t been kind to the bodies of Mohammed Shami or Jasprit Bumrah. Ageing anyway triggers slower reaction times, failing vision and increased cardiac activity. Athletes, however, have to contend with the added burden of accelerated musculoskeletal ageing. This is where Ashwin has to emulate Anderson.

On the face of it, spin bowling doesn’t require a lot of athleticism. But bowling long spells still requires physical perseverance of a certain level. Ashwin still probably is the first name on the sheet when India play at home. So, with another 14 Tests scheduled in India till the end of the 2027 World Test Championship cycle, there’s no reason why he shouldn’t feature in each of them, if not in some more in Sri Lanka, Australia (2024-25) and even England (2025). Should Ashwin manage to preserve himself till then, brace for bigger records to fall.