‘There were constant doubts…’ – R. Ashwin speaks about replacing Harbhajan Singh and copying his action after Chennai Test

38-year-old Indian cricket star R. Ashwin was given the player of the match after the Chennai test against Bangladesh. It was a comprehensive win for the home side as they took the game by a massive margin of 280 runs. 

Former Indian opener Abhinav Mukund spoke to Ashwin at the end of the game in Chennai. The two players shared the dressing room for Tamil Nadu and India. Abhinav Mukund congratulated the Indian star on his performance. 

To which Ashwin said “I can't really comment on what sort of impact I have had on this Test match. I had huge shoes to fill, I came in to replace Harbhajan, I used to replicate his action in junior cricket, he was an inspiration to me. Constantly people have doubted if I could deliver in red-ball as I came from IPL, but lots of people have come and helped me”

Also Read: Rohit Sharma praises Chepauk's pitch after winning 1st Test match against Bangladesh

Indian star goes back into memory lane

During the chat with Abhinav Mukund which also had Parthiv Patel and Tamim Iqbal, the Indian off-spinner got nostalgic. R. Ashwin recounted all the moments he had at the iconic MA Chidambaram stadium. 

The Indian star also said “Once upon a time this ground was concrete blocks and my first experience was watching from Mac B stand, watching Sachin Tendulkar. One day I wanted to be on this particular ground and play. My first IPL contract was given here, some energy pulls me into this ground, I don't know how much longer but I love coming back here”

When asked what he was thinking while he was batting, and bowling the Indian star said “Don't want to go thinking I want to get a 100, I want to get a fifer though. You have to sequence it as a bowler whereas as a batter it's about trusting your game but compartmentalising it has made it easier. [on how he bowled on this pitch] Pace was critical, I was earning my right to bowl slower, this is a surface where one which was reacting was when you go slower. But if you bowl a lot slower, there is time to play you off the back foot”

“I embrace pressure, I really enjoy being under pressure, I'm thinking like a bowler when I go in to bat. If there's a bowler who is at the backend of the spell, I let it go but otherwise, I play shots and transfer the pressure.  That I figured out as it was coming at a rapid pace” said Ashwin. 

During the conversation, he was also asked about his equation with Ravindra Jadeja. To which the veteran star said “There might have been competition in the past, the last 4-5 years, you can call it maturity or age or getting old, there is a lot of understanding on what kind of bowling you need to do on a certain day. He is one of the best batters in the Indian team, maybe even in the world, he is a trusted batter, Jadeja walking out gives a lot of calmness to the team. He helped me a lot through my innings. He told me, looks like you are batting really well, you need to buckle down like you are facing your first 10 balls, talking about leaving a few more balls. That partnership comes with experience and batting a lot together”

Finally, when asked about the role of his dad in his career, Ashwin got emotional and said “He has taken a step back now, he used to kick me out of the house and ask me to play, now he embraces me at home. For me it's about enjoying the game now, the reasons I play the game have changed over the last 5 years, and quite an influence my wife has had on me”