Ashwin credits batting unit for Nagpur Test win, calls Indian bowling attack 'unparalleled' in home conditions
Ravi Ashwin calls Indian bowling attack 'unparalleled' in home conditions
Much before the start of the marquee Border-Gavaskar series, there was a lot of talk about how the Australians are preparing to play against Ravichandran Ashwin. So much so that they even got an Ashwin-alike bowler on board to bowl to them in nets ahead of the Nagpur Test. Though all that looked like working a bit in their favour in the first innings, come the second innings, all those efforts went straight into thedrainas the ace Indian spinner picked a five-for in his first ten-over spell to hand Aussies an innings defeat. Trapping four out of the five players right in the middle showed how controlled he was with his line and length.
Speaking after the match, Ashwin, who picked his 31st five-wicket haul in Tests, credited the batters for laying a foundation of a big win on Saturday. After Rohit Sharma’s heroics on day two, it was a handy partnership between Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel that actually helped India take a more than 200-run lead in the first innings. As the Indian batters made the already-weakened Aussie bowling line-up grind hard for each wicket, Ashwin feels that worked in their favour.
“You know how things work from the third day onwards here in Test matches. I'd credit the batting unit; they really dug deep and kept them on the field for a long while. It's going to be tough for the team coming out and bat. The early wickets really set the tone today,” Ashwin said after the first Test in Nagpur.
Heaping praises on his fellow partner Ravindra Jadeja, who made a stunning return to the Indian team after a gap of five months, Ashwin said Jaddu(as Jadeja’s teammate often call him) was in exceptional form and the way he batted and bowled, he made all the difference. For scoring 70 runs in India’s only innings and for picking seven wickets across two outings, the left-armer Jadeja was adjudged the Player of the Match.
“He's (Ravindra Jadeja) been in phenomenal form. The way he's batted, the way he's bowled and we don't have to talk about how well he moves in the field. He's been a fantastic cricketer. I'm so thankful for the fact that I've got a partner like him to be bowling alongside me and Axar is no ordinary bowler either. We've got a very good set of spinners and all of us who can bat,” Ashwin, who scored vital 23 runs coming out as a night-watchman, said.
Speaking highly of India’s bowling strength that saw them winning every Test series on a home soil since the past decade, Ashwin said though that’s unparalleled, the batting depth is equally good too – cherishing Rohit Sharma’s record-breaking hundred in the first innings.
“…And it's not just India's bowling strength that is unparalleled in these conditions. The depth of their batting was also critical to the win. Rohit Sharma made a brilliant ton, but the lead was still not out of sight when he got out,” Ashwin added.
India will now face Australia in the second Test in Delhi, starting February 17th.
