Jhathavedh Subramanyan has been putting in the overs. Lots of them.
Since he began working with R. Ashwin around August last year, the Vida Kovai Kings leg-spinner has been bowling “20 to 25 overs” in a session, experimenting with his action and trying to make his leg-break a bigger weapon.
The work is beginning to bear fruit.
Jhathavedh, who was born in Hong Kong and has represented the country, has impressed with the ball despite Vida Kovai Kings suffering their second consecutive defeat in three matches in the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL). He has four wickets at an impressive economy of 6.41, with his wickets coming at crucial junctures.
Against Madurai Panthers, he ended the record 162-run second-wicket partnership by outfoxing the marauding N.S. Chaturved – the fastest centurion in TNPL history – with a leg-break that the batter charged down to be stumped. In the following over, he had opener Siddharth Mahadevan play his googly onto the stumps, sparking a semblance of a fightback as the Panthers chased a record 240.
Against iDream Tiruppur Tamizhans on Tuesday, he again struck in consecutive overs, reducing the side to 98 for five and then to 104 for six in a chase of 167.
“I’ve been working hard on my action and trying to get that leg-break going,” he said after the defeat to Tiruppur Tamizhans.
The 26-year-old has been working with Ashwin on a remodelled action. One of the noticeable changes is in his load-up, where he now gathers the ball closer to his body. He believes it has helped him impart more spin on his leg-break and get the delivery closer to the line of the stumps.
ALSO READ: At 18, Deepesh announces himself by rushing batters with speeds touching 140 kph
“You can probably see in the load-up that I’m gathering the ball a little bit closer to my body. And yes, that’s helped me rip the leg-break a little bit more without hampering the amount of turn for my googly. And it’s helped me get the ball more over the stumps. We worked on quite a few things, but this is one of the things. Going forward towards the target is something that we were speaking about as well,” he said.
The change is significant for a bowler whose googly had previously been his bigger turning delivery.
“Chaturved in the last game was one of the best dismissals for me, because in previous seasons I was turning my googly a lot, but then this season it was a leg-break that turned almost five degrees. And I think I’ve done it out of a few games – started turning the ball five degrees. That’s something we were working on at the sessions, and I’m happy that it’s been displayed in this match,” he said.
The work with Ashwin has not been restricted to technical changes. Jhathavedh has also been asked to bowl considerably more.
“I was doing a bit more volume. When I was in the UK (he went to Durham University and played for Durham MCCU), they were all about bowling less. And then, coming to India, it was a bit of a change. But my body got used to it, and now I’m pretty confident to bowl that volume of overs in a day,” he said.
The greater workload, though, was not simply about conditioning.
“So, the thing about doing volume is that the more repetitions you do, the more avenue there is for experimentation,” he said.
Jhathavedh said his body adapted well to the workload and that he enjoyed the sessions, including those at Chepauk and Loyola College.
“I was really enjoying those sessions, actually. I’ve had a couple of sessions at Chepauk and a couple of sessions at Loyola College. It’s amazing. There’s a lot of fun and a lot of smiling, which is very important, because, of course, as we all know, he has a great sense of humour.
“As a kid growing up in Hong Kong, it was an absolute dream to meet Ashwin in the first place, and now to have him as my coach is incredible,” he said.
Jhathavedh has already had a taste of the IPL, having been part of the Sunrisers Hyderabad squad, but is yet to represent Tamil Nadu. That’s something he’s aiming for now.
Published on Aug 12, 2026
