"Changing sleep cycle to....." - Ashwin's data analyst shares India star's mid-IPL routine change for WTC Final

Ashwin's aim was to synchronize his biological clock with that of London in preparation for the World Test Championship final in England.

By Chandra Moulee Das Updated: Jun 8, 2023, 16:09 IST

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During the IPL 2023 season, Ravichandran Ashwin implemented an interesting change by adjusting his sleeping habits. While most players tend to stay up late due to match timings, Ashwin decided to start going to bed early in the middle of May. His aim was to synchronize his biological clock with that of London in preparation for the World Test Championship final in England.

This alteration in his sleep cycle was just one small adjustment in a series of meticulous changes the spinner had been making to enhance his performance in the crucial one-off Test against Australia at the Oval.

Curious inquiries have been directed toward Prasanna Agoram, Ashwin's data analyst regarding various aspects. These include the level of turn expected at The Oval this season and in previous years, not just as a general statistic but specifically for each day. Additionally, Ashwin was also intrigued about determining the ideal trajectory for different players on days when the ball is not expected to turn.

Ravi Ashwin outclass Australia's Nathan Lyon's stats in England

“The turnaround from white-ball to red-ball takes time, starting from sleep cycle to bowling. Everything is a habit if you follow it for a few days. So Ashwin started off by undoing the old habits where if Rajasthan didn’t have a game, he would be off to bed early,” Prasanna, who has been working with Ashwin told The Indian Express.

Ashwin has conducted extensive research, including an analysis of Nathan Lyon's previous performances in England. Despite being consistently compared to Lyon, Ashwin has surpassed him in every aspect in recent years. In fact, Ashwin's average of 28.11 in England is superior to Lyon's average of 31.62.

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To provide further context, Ashwin's average is even lower than that of renowned spinners such as Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, and Rangana Herath. Only Muttiah Muralidharan (19.20) and Shane Warne (21.94) boast a better average in England.

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