Ranji Trophy: Aswin Crist leads the charge on Day 1

VISAKHAPATNAM: Aswin Crist's (6 for 31) best bowling figures in an innings in first-class games headlined Day 1 of the Ranji Trophy quarterfinals against Karnataka and put Tamil Nadu ahead. It just took Crist 13.1 overs to dismantle a batting line-up that comprised in-form batsmen in Karun Nair, KL Rahul and Manish Pandey. The trio - who were drafted in ahead of the clash - were accounted for by Crist, but the wicket he cherished the most was that of Karun."The ball moved after pitching and Karun didn't attempt any shot, and the outside edge was caught by the keeper. It was a perfect ball and I cherished it," said Crist, at the end of the day's play.
If fellow pacer Natarajan started Karnataka's slide with KL Rahul's dismissal, Crist was instrumental in dismantling the core of their line-up. "This has to be my most satisfying performance till date. There is some juice on this wicket and we decided to field first if we won the toss," the 22-year-old said. Crist said he wasn't too overawed by the reputation of the batsmen in the opposition ranks.
"We studied each of their batsmen and looked at the areas where they have been dismissed in recent times. Based on that, we worked out our plans," said Crist.
Crist may just be 21 first-class games old, but he is already donning the role of a pace spearhead. "It is something that has happened organically. Vignesh is in his maiden season and Natarajan too had played just a game at this level before this season had commenced. We always look to communicate with each other. Whatever we gather about the behaviour of the wicket, we share with others," Crist said.
On how he operates along with fellow pacers T Natarajan and K Vignesh, Crist revealed, "We know our strengths very well. Vignesh is someone who has the pace and keep one end tight. Natarajan is blessed with pace and is a skiddy customer and is purely a wicket-taking bowler."
Among the areas he has laid focus on, fitness has been on the top of Crist's agenda. His fitness has held him in good stead in bowling those long spells. It shouldn't come as a surprise that Crist has bowled 291.3 overs in 9 matches this season, the most by a Tamil Nadu bowler. "If you bowl a lot, you improve a lot. If you ask any bowler I've interacted with, they would all say that bowling a lot helps you become (better bowlers). I believe in that and I'm sure these guys enjoy bowling a lot and have the passion to bowl a lot," bowling coach Balaji mentioned.
Crist couldn't stop raving about the role former India speedster Balaji has played in shaping the bowling unit. "Balaji stresses more on the mental toughness of bowlers. He advises on the lengths to bowl on different wickets which is crucial since it can vary from one wicket to another," Crist said.
Despite his side in a relatively comfortable position, Crist felt the match was evenly poised as it heads to Day 2 on Saturday.