Indian experienced off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin believes he would perform better in the England tour if he remained fit till the end.
Ashwin started the English tour in an impressive way but failed to continue in the entire five-match Test series while he suffered an injury during the third Test of the series at Trent Bridge. The 32-year-old Ashwin feels he could produce better performances if his body had been better.
Ashwin told Cricketnext in an interview, “The injury was very frustrating. It happened in Trent Bridge (third Test, which India won to reduce the deficit to 1-2). For me, it was all about wanting to make the series two-all. The injury was a hampering factor but I have never played my cricket that way, saying something bad happened because of an injury. I took it upon myself to try and win the game for the team. It didn’t work out but I wouldn’t say I bowled too badly, either. People who know cricket and who have watched cricket will have understood that had things gone a little bit here or there, it would have been different, but that didn’t happen. Obviously, when you compare with the spinner (Moeen Ali) who bowled from the other team, it looks like that (that he himself didn’t bowl well). But if my body had been better, I might have coped with it better.”
Many experts believe English off-spinner Moeen Ali found the rough more often than Ashwin during that five-match Test series in England. However, Ashwin doesn’t agree with that fact.
He said, “I don’t agree to the fact that I wasn’t hitting the rough as much as he did. When you look at the way they batted, they played the ball against the spin. I would much rather say that it was also about changing lines as a spinner.”
Talking about his present fitness condition, Ashwin said that he feels much better now.
Ashwin said about his present body condition, “It is coping pretty well. I started running even before I left England (towards the middle of September), so that was a good sign. Now at the NCA, it is more about strength and trying to get my hip to move around the axis. Obviously it was a little tight, it was a tear. It was quite unfortunate it happened, but I am back to normal now.”
Since July 2017, Ashwin hasn’t been selected in the limited-overs cricket for the Indian cricket team as Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal have been grown up incredibly. While Ashwin is enjoying this competition and praising the new younger spinners, he is also waiting for the opportunity to represent the national side with the white ball.
The off-spinner said, “There is nothing as such, making peace and all. I think it’s only about coming to terms with what has happened and what’s panned out. You have got to give credit to Kuldeep and Chahal, who came in for myself and Jaddu and did really well. You have to applaud them. At the end of the day, competition is the healthiest thing. How many teams in the world actually have the luxury of sitting spinners of Jaddu and my quality outside? That’s something you need to applaud them for, for having taken their chances with both hands. But to me, it’s all about standing behind the door and waiting for the opportunity. When the opportunity presents itself, I have to be ready to take it.”
In 2018, the no.1 Test side Indian cricket team have lost six Tests and won only two Tests in overseas. However, Ashwin feels they have fought well in the recent overseas Tests but just failed to finish those games perfectly.
Ashwin said, “It’s very hard for me to assimilate and say if it is a setback because at no time in a majority of these six defeats did we feel that we were outplayed. I have been on tours before where we have been outplayed on many occasions but both these tours, it felt like we were in the game all the time. It is just that we were not able to deliver that finishing sucker punch every time.”
