"It's the memories that matter" - Ravichandran Ashwin reacts to surpassing Harbhajan Singh's tally, quotes Rahul Dravid after 1st India vs New Zealand Test
Ravichandran Ashwin has played down his landmark of surpassing Harbhajan Singh to become India's third-highest wicket-taker in Tests, saying the milestone doesn't mean much to him. He quoted India's head coach Rahul Dravid to state that memories of playing the sport matter more than runs and wickets.
The off-spinner picked up his 418th and 419th wickets during the Kanpur Test against New Zealand and is now only behind Anil Kumble (619) and Kapil Dev (434) in the tally. It took only 80 Tests - 23 fewer than Singh - for Ravichandran Ashwin to leapfrog him.
Speaking to broadcaster Star Sports after the match, he said:
"Absolutely nothing at all, to be honest (how does it make him feel). I know these are milestones that are constantly kept on tab and it's wonderful. Rahul bhai, ever since he has taken over, he's kept saying the same thing [that] how many ever wickets you take, how many ever runs you make in 10 years time, you won't remember them. It's the memories that matter so I want to have some special memories going forward in the next 3-4 years."
However, Ravichandran Ashwin's classy spell of 3/35 in the final innings couldn't help India win. The visitors clinched a thrilling draw with a brilliant 52-ball partnership between Rachin Ravindra and Ajaz Patel for the last wicket.
The Kanpur pitch, which got slower as the match went on, was still decent enough to bat on the final day. When asked about the same, Ravichandran Ashwin slid past any 'controversy' and lauded the Kiwi tail-enders for batting well and engendering a wonderful day of Test cricket.
He said:
"Look I think anytime pitches are being spoken about and I am asked a question, it turns into a controversy so I am trying to keep a tab on that. I would say that getting down to the last session, last mandatory over, I think it's played its part, some wonderful Test cricket. The young boy walking out there, Rachin Ravindra, batting beautifully, showed some great composure, Ajaz Patel with his defence, it just tells you a story. Everybody hangs in there, everybody can defend well these days, so it's not as easy as it used to be once upon a time getting these tail-enders out. Great day of Test cricket, I hope people who watched it enjoyed it."
He is third on the leading wicket-takers list among Indian bowlers now but for @ashwinravi99 it is more about creating special memories than milestones. 🙌
@Paytm #INDvNZ #TeamIndia https://t.co/eLIjzNMeit
Apart from Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja (4/40) and Axar Patel (1/23) also contributed to India's performance in the final innings. Shreyas Iyer was awarded the Player of the Match for his knocks of 105 and 65.
No complaints about bad light: Ravichandran Ashwin
So Near Yet So Far.
The first #INDvNZ Test in Kanpur ends in a draw.
@Paytm #TeamIndia https://t.co/dGckU0uBjl
Taking nothing away from Ravindra and Patel's efforts, India were arguably a bit unlucky not to have a better crack at them. The bad light in Kanpur didn't allow India to bowl in the last 10-12 minutes of play.
However, Ravichandran Ashwin said he and his team were expecting it and so don't have any complaints.
Ravichandran Ashwin said:
"We were actually keeping things under control. We were bowling in good areas and we knew if we had the time to go on and put some pressure on them, we could get the job done but the light was always going to come in the last session. There has been bad light in every single day of this Test match so we did expect it, so no complaints. Couldn't get the job done but we stuck together well."
This was the first Test India failed to win under Ajinkya Rahane's captaincy. The two teams will now move on to Mumbai for the second Test of the series.
[Watch] Ravichandran Ashwin becomes India's 3rd-highest wicket-taker in Tests with a lucky dismissal