NEW DELHI: Ravichandran Ashwin on Thursday said that he opted for an aggressive batting approach on the red soil pitch in the first Test against Bangladesh in Chennai.
The strategy paid off as Ashwin produced a brilliant century, helping India recover from a difficult position.”It’s an old Chennai surface with a bit of bounce and carry. The red soil pitch allows you to play a few shots if you are willing to just get in line and give it a bit of a tonk when there’s width,” PTI quoted Ashwin as saying to the host broadcasters after the opening day’s proceedings.
“Of course, I have always been wafting my bat around outside off-stump.Worked on a few things and on a surface like this with a bit of spice, if you’re going after the ball, might as well go after it really hard like Rishabh does.”
Rishabh Pant also contributed with a solid 39 off 52 balls, although he fell to a loose stroke.
India’s top-four batsmen were dismissed for just 96 runs, but Ashwin showcased excellent control and hit a gritty 102 not out off 112 balls. He formed an unbeaten partnership with Ravindra Jadeja, who scored 86 not out.
Ashwin credited his performance to his time in the Tamil Nadu Premier League, where he focused on improving his batting.
“It helps that I’ve come back after a T20 tournament (TNPL). I worked quite a bit on my batting,” he said.
He expressed his joy of playing at the home venue, saying, “It’s always a special feeling to play in front of the home crowd. This is a ground I completely love to play cricket in. It’s given me a lot of wonderful memories.”
Ashwin also praised Jadeja for his support during a crucial phase.
“He (Jadeja) was of real help. There was a point in time where I was sweating and getting a bit tired. Jaddu noticed it quickly and guided me through that phase,” Ashwin said, acknowledging Jadeja’s crucial advice.
“Jaddu has been one of our best batters for the team in the last few years. His presence was solid, and his advice that we didn’t have to convert twos into threes was really helpful for me.”
The pair’s combined 195-run partnership for the seventh wicket lifted India from a precarious 144/6 to a strong 339/6 by the end of day one.
Looking forward to the next day, Ashwin noted, “It’s a typical, old-fashioned Chennai pitch where overspin will fetch a bit of bounce.”
“The wicket will start doing its tricks much later in the game. There’s enough in it for the quicks-good carry, good bounce if we present the seam nice and hard.”
“The new ball will do a bit, and we’ll have to start afresh tomorrow. It’s still damp underneath, so hopefully as it dries out, it quickens up,” he added.
The strategy paid off as Ashwin produced a brilliant century, helping India recover from a difficult position.”It’s an old Chennai surface with a bit of bounce and carry. The red soil pitch allows you to play a few shots if you are willing to just get in line and give it a bit of a tonk when there’s width,” PTI quoted Ashwin as saying to the host broadcasters after the opening day’s proceedings.
“Of course, I have always been wafting my bat around outside off-stump.Worked on a few things and on a surface like this with a bit of spice, if you’re going after the ball, might as well go after it really hard like Rishabh does.”
Rishabh Pant also contributed with a solid 39 off 52 balls, although he fell to a loose stroke.
India’s top-four batsmen were dismissed for just 96 runs, but Ashwin showcased excellent control and hit a gritty 102 not out off 112 balls. He formed an unbeaten partnership with Ravindra Jadeja, who scored 86 not out.
Ashwin credited his performance to his time in the Tamil Nadu Premier League, where he focused on improving his batting.
“It helps that I’ve come back after a T20 tournament (TNPL). I worked quite a bit on my batting,” he said.
He expressed his joy of playing at the home venue, saying, “It’s always a special feeling to play in front of the home crowd. This is a ground I completely love to play cricket in. It’s given me a lot of wonderful memories.”
Ashwin also praised Jadeja for his support during a crucial phase.
“He (Jadeja) was of real help. There was a point in time where I was sweating and getting a bit tired. Jaddu noticed it quickly and guided me through that phase,” Ashwin said, acknowledging Jadeja’s crucial advice.
“Jaddu has been one of our best batters for the team in the last few years. His presence was solid, and his advice that we didn’t have to convert twos into threes was really helpful for me.”
The pair’s combined 195-run partnership for the seventh wicket lifted India from a precarious 144/6 to a strong 339/6 by the end of day one.
Looking forward to the next day, Ashwin noted, “It’s a typical, old-fashioned Chennai pitch where overspin will fetch a bit of bounce.”
“The wicket will start doing its tricks much later in the game. There’s enough in it for the quicks-good carry, good bounce if we present the seam nice and hard.”
“The new ball will do a bit, and we’ll have to start afresh tomorrow. It’s still damp underneath, so hopefully as it dries out, it quickens up,” he added.
