The veteran Indian off-spinner, Ravichandran Ashwin feels that the game of cricket is everything to him, and he often feels lost when the game isn’t happening. On Tuesday Ashwin revealed how he honed his skills during the Covid-induced lockdown and touched upon how he was not desperate to succeed in the recent tour of Australia where India managed to win the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against all odds.
Talking about the same during a chat with the Indian skipper, Virat Kohli, Ravichandran Ashwin said, “Look, I think, the whole pandemic thing and the way we were shut off, I was thinking what is going to happen? If you take this game away from me, I am literally lost. Even when I am not playing some formats of the game, I am always switching the TV on like watching the preview and what is happening.”
Mindset 👊
Changed batting approach 👌
The backstory to return to his batting form 👍Don't miss this special chat as man of the moment @ashwinravi99 speaks to #TeamIndia skipper @imVkohli – by @RajalArora. @Paytm #INDvENG
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He further added, “I thought the game is not on anymore, I was reflecting upon myself and how I can learn from people. In the past when I have toured abroad, it was more of desperation to prove others wrong. But this time when I went to Australia, it was about proving to myself what I am capable of.”
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Ashwin’s remarks came as India achieved a huge win by 317 runs against England in the second Test of the ongoing four-match series. As a result, the series stands levelled at 1-1 and Virat Kohli-led side has also reached the second spot in World Test Championship (WTC) standings.
Talking about India’s win, Ashwin said, “I do not know, for the first time in my career, I feel blank. When I went out to bat yesterday, I was feeling blank, I came and asked you can I start sweeping? You know me very well, my mind is always ticking. For a change, it is really blank. That partnership between us really set the tone and I am so pleased for us. I had asked you about wanting to sweep, if you had asked me to take some time, then I might have acted differently.”
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The victory in Chennai on Tuesday has helped the Indian team to reach the second position with 69.7 percentage points on the points table but they cannot afford to lose another match as they need to win 2-1 or 3-1 to qualify for the final of the maiden edition of the Championship.
