For me, it's always the team first, says Ravichandran Ashwin
What's the story?
Ravichandran Ashwin's three wicket haul in the second innings of the first Test against Sri Lanka at Galle helped India achieve a huge victory and take a 1-0 lead in the 3 match Test series.
Speaking to the media after the match, Ashwin spoke about how important it is to play for the team and not for the numbers.
"For me, it's always the team first. Since my childhood days when I dreamt of playing for India, I had one goal and that is to take Indian cricket to greater heights," Ashwin said at the end of the first Test against Sri Lanka here.
"I don't have any specific goals at all. I don't have any numbers in front of my eyes to achieve. I just want to give my best for the country and in the process I know I can achieve something for myself as well," he added.
Also Read: Ravichandran Ashwin 50*: Benchmarking the baffling numbers so far
In case you didn't know...
Ashwin, who made his debut back in 2011 played his 50th Test against Sri Lanka at Galle. He was awarded for his achievement and took to Twitter to express his gratitude.
Ashwin's 3-65 on Day 4 of the Test helped India bundle out the hosts for 245 and win the match by 304 runs.
The Details:
Ashwin's record with the Indian Test side has been spectacular and his numbers speak for himself.
In the 50 Tests he has played so far, Ashwin has picked up 279 wickets at an average of 25.39 and strike rate of 52.2.
He broke numerous records along the way and became the quickest bowler ever to reach 250 wickets, surpassing Australian legend Dennis Lillee on the way.
He now has the chance to break Lillee's record of the quickest to 300 wickets and to do so, he will have to pick up 21 wickets in the next 6 matches he plays.
What's next?
Ashwin will look to continue his fine run of form against Sri Lanka in the 2nd Test which begins on August 3 at Colombo.
Author's take:
Ashwin's success in Tests has been spectacular and he deserves every bit of recognition he is receiving. However, he should look to improve his form in ODIs and T20Is by changing his style of bowling.
With the pitches in Sri Lanka providing turn and bounce, we can expect Ashwin to continue to perform well throughout the series. It will be interesting to see if he can keep this up later on in the year when India travel to South Africa.