India's premier off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has revealed the demoralising effect he has had while bowling at the former swashbuckling opener Virender Sehwag.
Talking in a chat show 'What the Duck 2', Ashwin recalled his tryst with Sehwag at a net session a few years ago.
"Sehwag was never complicated. He had a demoralising effect on me actually," Ashwin said.
"There was an incident in Dambulla, where every ball that I bowled, first ball I bowled outside off stump, Sehwag cut me. Next ball I bowled on off stump, he cuts me. Next ball I bowled on middle stump, he cuts me. The next ball I bowl on leg stump, he again cuts me. So I said 'what the hell is happening'. So I just bowled a ball fuller, Sehwag stepped out and slugged me out for a six," Ashwin recalled.
"So I said to myself either I am just not good enough or this guy is just way too good ... Which he was. But to the greater Sachin Tendulkar also, I didn't struggle with bowling so much in the nets. I was very inquisitive. I observed this for a few days.
"But then I couldn't hold myself back, I went to him (Sehwag) and asked, 'so what should I do to improve'.
"Viru said 'You know what, I don't think off-spinners are bowlers. They do not trouble me at all. I just find it easy smashing them'. I said 'Sir you are cutting me'. He said, 'Yeah, I hit off-spinners against the spin on the off side and for left-arm spinners, I will hit against the spin on the leg side. I said, 'okay, fine'," Ashwin recounted.
After being thrashed during net sessions on multiple occasions by Sehwag, Ashwin finally managed to figure out a way to get the better of the hard-hitting batsman. He found out that the best possible plan against Sehwag was to bowl every single ball as "best rubbish ball".
"So the best possible plan against Sehwag was to bowl every single single ball as best rubbish ball that you can give. And I got him out a few times in the IPl that way. Because what he expects is not what you dish out. Because he expects you to bowl good balls," said Ashwin.