Throughout his career, R. Ashwin has had to deal with comparisons of his bowling figures in India and abroad. A quick judgment would say that Ashwin is a much better bowler on Indian courts than on overseas soils, especially in the SENA nations (South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia), but Ashwin, who claimed 4/55 against Australia the Day 2 of the Adelaide Test on Friday, claims otherwise.
“Look in the last two years if people don’t reflect on a couple of not-so-good situations or games, if you say so, I’ve had decent outings every time I went out to play abroad for the last 18 months or so.” Ashwin, India’s star with the ball, said at the end of the day’s game via a virtual press conference.
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“And things can get out of context. I’ve put those things behind me and I just want to enjoy my craft and have as much fun as I can. I don’t want to sit around and think if it’s for the best or not. For me there is an entry for the end and I am looking forward to the full series. It’s a great opportunity for me to play the game that I love. “
Ashwin’s 4/55 are his best bowling figures in Australia in Tests. In the past 18 months, Ashwin has played just two overseas events, against New Zealand and the one he is currently involved in, picking up seven wickets, but has been far more confident at his bowling alley than in the past.
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Ashwin weighed in on his comparisons with Nathan Lyon, the Australian player, and said drawing parallels between two players with similar traits can sometimes be overstated. At 369 wickets and counting, Ashwin is India’s fourth tallest carrier in testing, behind Anil Kumble, Kapil Dev and Harbhajan Singh. Lyon, on the other hand, has 390 wickets and is Australia’s third-largest wielder behind Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath, but has played 25 more rounds than Ashwin.
“I think every spinner is different,” Ashwin said. “I think that sometimes things can get out of context when you make comparisons with how one approaches their craft compared to the other. Even on this test, Nathan and I bowled very differently. We are both very different bowlers. Successful in our way.
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“For me it’s about trying to change things and make it difficult for the batter to defend and score at the same time. Sometimes when you’re playing just four bowls, especially outside, my job is to keep one end up and rotate fast bowls at the other end and also go for the wickets if I get enough assistance or the first wickets. For me it is extremely important to make the batter’s defense as difficult as possible ”.
Ashwin responded to the possibility that he would try bowling like Lyon on a Moeen Ali for the best results, and said that although there is a great score to learn from his teammates, they are all different in their own way and that the player is different. feel comfortable. sticking to his bag of tricks.
“Sometimes I feel these comparisons and the way we look at things is skewed,” Ashwin said. “Nobody asks hitters to go watch Smith hit and play it all the time when we’re on tour in Australia. Nobody asks them to hit like Alastair Cook or Joe Root when they play. I think we are all aware that everyone fights a cat differently.
“There is no end to what you can learn, you can always learn all the good things, how they run their business, what fields they set, the pace of the game. I have always maintained this, especially when you play outside of India, the passages of the game must go your way like a spinner because you are doing twin work and against the conditions. As for me, I watch closely to see if I can learn and also prepare thoroughly for hitters and put in a serious effort. How people perceive it and how they compare it is what they should do. “
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