Ravichandran Ashwin confident about getting better with time
Indian spinner R Ashwin was quoted saying that his previous tour of Australia in 2014-15 was a “coming of age” as a bowler. After taking 12 wickets in three Test matches at an average of 48.66 in the four-match series against Australia, he said that he was satisfied with the way he bowled on pitches that provided no support to spinners.
"To say it [performance overseas] will get better by the time I'm done, is not how I look at this game," Ashwin said. "I think I came of age when I played in Australia this time. More than anything else, I think I created a lot of wicket-taking opportunities and put a lot of pressure on the batsman”, he told ESPNcricinfo in Chennai.
"To bowl 30 overs in a day in Australia is a really commendable effort for a spinner in my knowledge. Over the last year, my bowling has come a long way. If you asked me, would you take 25 wickets more or how you are bowling right now, I would say I will take how I am bowling right now because I know the wickets are round the corner”, the veteran bowler stated.
Ashwin’s record in the Indian sub-continent has been more note-worthy to his bowling record overseas. He has taken 100 Test wickets in 16 games at an average of 23.87 in Asia, whereas, his record outside Asia has been relatively poor with just 24 wickets in 9 games at an average of 56.58. Although, he is not too unsettled by the numbers and insists that bowling well consistently on foreign surfaces will eventually lead to better bowling figures.
"I might end up getting six wickets in Australia one day and I might say that is where I wanted to be," he said. "I played a Test match in South Africa and played a couple in England. If I play a test in India, I might end up picking five wickets immediately but it might happen in the third or fourth test in England or South Africa. It hasn't happened but might happen soon”, the 28-year-old told the website.
Ready to take responsibility
Ashwin also stated that he was eager to take more responsibility for the team’s performance while playing overseas.
"When you go abroad, if everybody plays [their] role to perfection, the role of a spinner is much easier. Having said that, I should take greater responsibility on myself. I want to emulate a lot of things that the past greats have done. I'd be happier if I had won more games for India”, he said.
India’s new Test captain, Virat Kohli, had described Ashwin as “priceless” after the recently concluded Bangladesh series, where he took 5 wickets for 87 runs in a rain-affected Test. Ashwin too was all praises of Kohli’s attitude towards every game.
"Whichever team I've turned up for, I've always wanted to contribute and be the prime performer. To a degree, Virat is very similar and I love that character of his because we both go about our business in a very different manner. He is very aggressive, upfront and on the face. I don't quite do that but I still want to take the centre stage. If he is the batsman doing it for India, I want to be the bowler that does it for India. The one driving factor that is common to us is that we want to keep improving and we don't want to sit on laurels. I really admire that aspect of his which I don't think is very common”, the spinner said as reported by the website.
On aspiring to be captain
When asked if he aspires to lead the national side in the near future, he said, “If you would have asked me two or three years ago, I would have said yes like any vibrant youngster. There are a lot of occupational hazards. I wouldn't say that's a priority because it is not in my hands. Somebody has to identify something in me to hand over such a big responsibility. I led Tamil Nadu when I was 20. That really put me on the map when it came to playing for India. I was really confident of myself as a leader but I think that leadership is something that needs to be identified and I need to be entrusted with it. As of now, I'm only getting better as a player and a person every day. If it has to happen, it will happen. I think it is a matter of fate."
Ashwin’s next focus will be India’s series in Sri Lanka which is scheduled to start in August. Although he isn’t very positive about the pitches being spin-friendly, he is not too concerned due to his recent good form. The wickets are much truer and have something for the fast bowlers. It is not easy but we have to go there and acclimatise and play some good cricket as Sri Lanka is going to be a very tricky destination. The way I bowled in Bangladesh is where I would like to be all through my career, however long I continue to play. If I can replicate what I did in Bangladesh, it should not matter a great deal”, he told the website.
The spinner is eager to play more Test in the coming days and improve his performance with every game.