"We were just going to be knocked out of the WTC race" - Ravichandran Ashwin opens up on the key moment on their way to the final
Team India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin recently pointed to the second Test in Bangladesh as the pivotal moment in the team's path to qualifying for the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The summit clash between India and Australia is set to be played at the Oval, starting on Wednesday, June 7.
After winning the first Test of the two-match series against Bangladesh, India were reeling at 74/7, chasing 145 on a deteriorating pitch at Dhaka. With the possibility of an embarrassing defeat that could have eliminated India from qualifying for the WTC final looming, Ashwin combined with Shreyas Iyer to bail the team out.
They put on an unbeaten 71-run partnership to steer the team to a three-wicket victory.
Speaking to the ICC about the game, Ravichandran Ashwin recalled head coach Rahul Dravid's speech in the dressing room.
"We’ve had our moments in this last cycle, especially where we could have been knocked out quite a few times and have just held tight," Ashwin said. "I think the moment of the WTC, I don’t know irrespective of what happens in this game, would be Rahul (Dravid) bhai’s speech after the Bangladesh Test that we had at Mirpur."
"I think we were just going to be knocked out of the WTC race in that particular Test, so we finished the game and I came out and was really pumped up, I don’t think we expected... nobody expected us to win, even inside the dressing room," he added. "Rahul just said, ‘It was a great game of cricket and Ash, we were never in doubt’. That is probably the moment of the WTC cycle as far as I’m concerned.”
The all-rounder feels that having to battle harder to qualify for the final in this cycle could hold the team in good stead.
"I think in the last cycle we really quite dominated and got into the Final. This time we’ve had our ups and downs, and that’s probably why I think this particular game could be lucky number two for us," remarked Ashwin.
Ravichandran Ashwin was the third-highest wicket-taker for India in the 2021-23 WTC cycle, with 61 scalps in 13 games at an incredible average of 19.67.
"The team who are going to capitalise on the early nerves of the other is going to come out on top" - Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravichandran Ashwin also spoke about the English conditions and asserted that the team is well prepared to tackle them in the upcoming WTC final against Australia.
After suffering a loss to New Zealand in the last WTC final, India played four Tests in England in 2021 and a one-off Test in 2022.
When asked about the English conditions, especially at the Oval, Ashwin said:
"England will be cold! That’s the one learning from that game - it was cold, it was freezing. But I don’t think you can draw back, I mean you can’t even draw back into the last series that you played, and that is way back in the pecking order as far as we’re concerned in terms of how long ago the game was played.
"The Oval is one place that is probably a little different to some of the other tougher venues in England in terms of lateral movement," he added. "So I think we’ve prepared okay. I’m sure there are nerves on both sides, so the team who are going to capitalise on the early nerves of the other is going to come out on top."
Ravichandran Ashwin was the leading wicket-taker, with 25 scalps, in the recent Border Gavaskar Trophy against Australia at home in March.
The last time Team India played a Test at the Oval, they defeated England convincingly by 157 runs, despite Ashwin not featuring in the game.