0
0
During the pre-match news conference for the fifth Test match between India and England, veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin talked about the moment in his career that changed his game as a bowler.
According to Ashwin, the England tour of India in 2012 remained both the biggest disappointment and the major turning moment in his career. The Indians had lost the four-match Test series 2-1 while MS Dhoni was captain.
India’s final Test series defeat on home soil occurred during that specific series. Not even Australia, South Africa, or New Zealand have been able to break through a red-ball series here since then.
England was predicted to challenge India’s hegemony when they arrived for the current Anthony De Mello Trophy series.
However, they were prevented from doing so by individuals such as Ravichandran Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Yashasvi Jaiswal.
Ravi Ashwin covered a number of topics during that press conference, and his career’s turning point was one of them. After identifying the 2012 series as the pivotal event, Ashwin recalls looking back and considering his errors.
With 14 wickets from 236.5 overs bowled, Ravichandran Ashwin was the fourth-best bowler in that series.
Given that the England series was only his fourth Test series since he started playing in 2011, he was very inexperienced on the international scene at the time.
Read More: Aakash Chopra Reveals IPL 2024’s Most Lethal Spin Bowling Duo!
The most disappointing thing about Ashwin, given India’s 2-1 series loss, was his 3.11 economy rate. He was the bowler in the series who leaked the most runs—737—of any bowler who finished in the top five. According to Ashwin, that series was the one that brought about a positive change in everything.
Rather than giving up easily any more, the off-spinner made a fantastic return, addressed his areas of weakness, and now has 507 Test wickets.
At the conference, he clarified that he was aware of the precise areas he needed to focus on and that, as a result, he had improved by 5%.
“That home series against England, where Pietersen and Cook scored runs.” This could be the pivotal moment in my life.
There were rumours that I might be fired. I learned a great lesson to raise my performance by, say, 5%. I knew what needed to be fixed.
It has been addressing downs ever since. During the Dharamshala pre-match press conference, Ravichandran Ashwin stated.
Ravichandran Ashwin will become the fourteenth Indian player to feature in 100 Test matches when India and England play their fifth Test match in Dharamshala.
Along with him will be Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble, Kapil Dev, Dilip Vengsarkar, Sunil Gavaskar, Ishant Sharma, Harbhajan Singh, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, and Virender Sehwag.
Additionally, the off-spinner will make history by being the sixth spinner in the world and the fourth Indian bowler to participate in 100 red-ball games.
Ashwin is now tied for second place in the series with 17 wickets, behind only Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja.
In his 100th Test match, he will have the opportunity to take the lead in wickets taken. Tom Hartley of England is top of the leaderboard with 20 points, and the fifth Test starts on March 7.
