Before his 100th Test, Ashwin said, ‘I did not enjoy my success as much as I should have’
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New Delhi: Indian spin legend Ravichandran Ashwin is set to play his 100th Test match but has revealed that ‘I haven’t enjoyed my success as much as I should have’ as he pushes himself to become a better player after every tour. Let’s go back.
Ashwin will play his 100th match in the longer format of the game during the fifth and final Test against England starting on March 7 in Dharamsala.
In the third Test of the ongoing series in Rajkot, Ashwin became the ninth Indian bowler and second after Anil Kumble to achieve 500 Test wickets and Muttiah Muralitharan, Shane Warne, James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Kumble, Glenn McGrath, Courtney Walsh and Nathan Joined the exclusive club of bowlers like Lyon.
Furthermore, he broke the barrier of 350 wickets in home Tests and became India’s top wicket-taker, surpassing Kumble. Ashwin has taken 507 wickets in 99 Test matches, 156 wickets in 116 ODIs and 72 wickets in 65 T20s.
Ahead of his momentous occasion, Ashwin was in conversation with Kumble at the Spin Maestros program on JioCinema. When asked who do you trust if things don’t go right or go right? Ashwin said: ‘I go back to one person and it is very stressful for that person. That person is me.
He said, ‘Because I think cricket is one of the most introspective sports. And if you are unkind and very critical of yourself, I think it will look the truth in your face. There are enough more critics in India who will tell you, 10 of them will tell you wrong things, but they are certainly critical. But 10 of them will also tell you the right things.
‘So, as I always say, my biggest pain is that I don’t enjoy my success as much as I should. But, it has also helped me become a better cricketer. I have constantly looked for improvements in things and I have made sure that I am very uncomfortable with who I am on any particular day. And then I go back to the drawing board and focus on what else I can do to bring more to the game.’
Ashwin said, ‘For example, Steven Smith has scored a century against me, how can I catch him, or Joe Root has scored a century, how can I catch him. So constantly that thought starts a new action and ultimately it has worked for me for years so I am sitting there comfortably.
Speaking ahead of the momentous occasion, Ashwin humbly acknowledged the immense support and sacrifices from his family during his cricket journey. He emphasizes that while the 100th Test holds personal significance, it means even more for his father, mother, wife and children, who have been steadfast pillars of support and encouragement for him.
Ashwin said, ‘The 100th Test means a lot to me, but it means more to my father, mother, wife and even my children. My children are more excited about the test. The family goes through a lot during a player’s journey. My father still answers 40 calls on what his son did during the match.
When the 37-year-old was asked about the challenges faced by spinners in the context of white-ball cricket and how he sees finger-spin bowling going forward, Ashwin said, ‘Finger spin has been one of the biggest success stories. One of the things is how I have made a comeback in the T20 team and the ODI team in the last few years. I’m not saying it happened to me, so it’s a success story.
‘There is nothing that finger-spinners are less efficient and wrist-spinners are more efficient or vice versa. The fact is that as any spinner or any bowler the amount of repetitions you do and the mere awareness of your skill, will definitely affect what part of the skill you have. Because, I believe that as time passes people start working less.
He concluded, ‘Finger spin, wrist spin, fast bowling, slow balls, bouncers, all these things will not matter. If you are a good bowler, you are a good bowler, no matter what you do.
Among his notable achievements, Ashwin etched his name in history as the first Indian cricketer to take 100 wickets and 1000-plus runs against England in Test cricket, after Gary Sobers, Monty Noble and George Giffen to achieve the feat. Became the fourth player to do so.
India lead the five-match series 3-1 and will face England in the fifth and final match of the series in Dharamsala from Thursday.
The post Before his 100th Test, Ashwin said, ‘I did not enjoy my success as much as I should have’ appeared first on Dainik Savera Times | Hindi News Portal.
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