The India vs New Zealand ODI series is set to begin on January 11, and for Indian-origin leg-spinner Adithya Ashok, the three-match contest presents a deeply personal and professional milestone. Born in Vellore and now representing New Zealand, the 23-year-old says he is relishing the prospect of bowling to modern greats Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in Vadodara.
“It’s a very exciting opportunity and challenge to play against those guys and test yourself against people who are considered great—and definitely are great,” Ashok said while responding to an IANS query during a select virtual interaction on Thursday.
“The things they’ve done for the game and what they’ve achieved across their careers have been phenomenal. For me to potentially play against them, to learn and to try and understand and feel greatness up close, is really exciting.”
Ashok was born in Tamil Nadu before moving to Auckland at the age of four. With New Zealand resting several regulars for the 50-over series, the leg-spinner, who has already played two ODIs (Bangladesh) and a T20I (UAE), could get an extended opportunity to showcase his skills against one of the strongest batting line-ups in world cricket.
The tour also carries emotional significance. Ashok remains deeply connected to India and is especially close to his late grandfather. As a tribute, he has a tattoo on his bowling arm featuring superstar Rajinikanth’s iconic line from Padayappa, “En vazhi thani vazhi” (My way is a unique way), a memory from the time the two watched the film together.
During his last visit to India, Ashok trained at the Chennai Super Kings academy in Chennai, attending a two-week spin camp under coach Sriram Krishnamurthy. He hopes those sessions will now pay dividends.
“I’m going in with an opportunity mindset and a growth mindset,” Ashok said. “I want to bring my point of difference to the table, compete hard, and enjoy the challenge. I’m really excited to bowl to Rohit, Kohli and everyone else—they’re all phenomenal players.”
Rather than feeling weighed down by pressure, Ashok says his focus is firmly on learning and improvement.
“If I can come away from this series having learnt new methods, learnt about myself as a cricketer and as a person, and really enjoyed the experience, that puts me in a richer position than anything else,” he said.
“Success would be great, of course. But if you remove expectation and emotion around the outcome, you give yourself the best chance to learn and get better. My focus has always been on how I can improve—because if you’re getting one percent better every day, the results tend to take care of themselves.”
Ashok represented New Zealand at the 2020 Under-19 World Cup in South Africa and counts Shane Warne and Ish Sodhi among his role models. He also credits mentor Tarun Nethula and New Zealand Cricket’s talent identification manager Paul Wiseman for playing a crucial role in his development, particularly during his recovery from a back surgery performed by Rowan Schouten, who has also operated on Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna and Mayank Yadav.
“Having a back injury at a young age was a major setback, especially as a spinner—it’s quite rare,” Ashok admitted. “Tarun and Paul were incredibly important during my return to play. We worked on staying more upright at the crease, moving forward over my front leg, and reducing stress on my lower back.”
The trio also made technical adjustments to his bowling action to avoid lumbar extension and unnecessary strain. Ashok says those changes continue to be a key focus.
He remains in constant touch with his mentors, even while on tour. After New Zealand’s first training session in Vadodara on Thursday, Ashok immediately reached out to Nethula.
“The first thing I did after training was message Tarun about how things went and what I was feeling,” he said. “They’re both very important people in my support network.”
As Ashok prepares to take on cricket’s biggest names in a country where the sport is followed with unmatched passion, the young leg-spinner is embracing the moment, grounded in his roots, and ready to carve his own path in New Zealand colours.