"You have to be more imaginative, which you expect" - Aakash Chopra on Ravichandran Ashwin not looking as impressive in IND vs ENG Test series
Aakash Chopra feels Ravichandran Ashwin has dished out underwhelming performances in the first two Tests between India and England because he hasn't been imaginative enough on the relatively batting-friendly pitches.
The five-match series is tied at 1-1, with India bouncing back to win the second Test in Visakhapatnam after a loss in Hyderabad. Ashwin has picked up nine wickets at a below-par average of 36.33 in four innings and hasn't looked too threatening.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra was asked about Ashwin not looking as impressive in the ongoing series. He responded (6:00):
"I am with you, actually. If you play too much cricket on extreme spin-friendly pitches continuously, when you go to flat pitches and the opposing team suddenly comes with an aggressive mindset, you have to be more imaginative, which you expect."
The former India opener noted that the wily spinner hasn't thought out of the box.
"Ashwin is standing on the verge of 500 wickets. So you expect that he will understand and manage all these things. However, the truth is that the Ravi of Ravichandran Ashwin hasn't risen in the series thus far. That's probably a combination of being used to mostly playing on turning pitches and Bazball," Chopra added.
All Indian spinners have struggled to pick up wickets on the unusually flat surfaces in the first two Tests. They have been outbowled by the England spinners, with Jasprit Bumrah being the only bright spot in the Indian bowling attack.
"I thought he was slightly taken by surprise in Hyderabad" - Aakash Chopra on Ravichandran Ashwin
![Ravichandran Ashwin registered figures of 3/126 in the second innings in Hyderabad. [P/C: BCCI]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/02/28397-17075432322248-1920.jpg?w=500)
Aakash Chopra reckons Ollie Pope's counterattacking approach took Ravichandran Ashwin by surprise in the second innings of the first Test. He observed:
"I thought he was slightly taken by surprise in Hyderabad because you generally see Ashwin trying different things. However, that was not seen in Hyderabad. He didn't change his angle at all when Ollie Pope was playing sweeps and reverse sweeps."
The cricketer-turned-commentator acknowledged that barring the second innings in Visakhapatnam, the off-spinner hasn't been close to his best.
"He kept bowling from one place and he kept hitting. That's not the Ashwin that we know. Even in the first innings in Vizag, the batters ran after him and he didn't get wickets. So the performance has looked slightly weak although he was coming back to his own in the second innings," Chopra stated.
Ashwin returned figures of 3/72 in the second innings of the second Test. He accounted for Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, and Joe Root's dismissals to sway the game India's way.