R Ashwin is looking in terrific rhythm after receiving a call-up to the Indian ODI team for the ongoing home series against Australia.

On his return to the ODI side after 21 months, the ace off-spinner returned with bowling figures of 1/47 (10 overs) in the first game against Australia in Mohali on Friday (September 22).

Ashwin continued his brilliance in the second ODI versus Australia in Indore on Sunday (September 24), picking up three wickets in his seven overs by conceding 41 runs. On a flat track, he removed Marnus Labuschagne, David Warner and Josh Inglis in quick succession to script India’s 99-run victory.

In particular, Ashwin’s dismissal of Labuschagne caught everyone’s attention as the former bamboozled the latter with a carrom ball.

After the game, Ashwin reflected on Labuschagne’s wicket and said that it happened due to his change of grips, something that he has added to his arsenal ahead of the ODI World Cup 2023.

"They had nothing to lose after the rain break. They had to go hard and needed a boundary every over. Chasing 400 over 50 overs is completely different than chasing (317) in 33 overs. I wanted to keep the length perfect, away from the bat and also change pace," Ashwin told BCCI.

"Marnus played a reverse before that and I was expecting him to do something similar or slog, so I wanted to keep my pace up and down just in case he gave the stumps away. They were not picking the variations of the hand, so maybe that angle and the change of grip to bowl the carrom ball and the off-spinner - I am using my third finger - hopefully will hold me in good stead," he added.

Before the Australia series, Ashwin was seen training at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) under the supervision of chief VVS Laxman and spin bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule.

"I worked a little with Sairaj at the NCA on slightly different grips. We worked on it for three four days. For the amount of professional cricket I have played over the years I should have done this a lot before," Ashwin said about the work he put in at the NCA.

"At the end of the day, if a batsman is deceived by my delivery, it is a good ball. I was pleased with the amount of uncertainty I was able to create with respect to bringing both edges into play," he concluded.