Ravichandran Ashwin dedicated his 500th Test wicket to his father. On Friday, he removed England opener Zak Crawley on the second day of the third Test to become only the second Indian, after Anil Kumble, to the mark. “It’s been quite a long journey. Firstly, I’d like to dedicate this feat to my father. He’s been with me through thick and thin and probably has a heart attack every time he’s watched me play. His health has probably gone for a toss because of that,” Ashwin said after stumps.
“I am an accidental spinner; I always wanted to be a batter,” he added.
Ashwin is not getting too ahead of himself for now. “No, that’s 120 wickets away. You know I’m 37 years old,” Ashwin said when asked about going past KumbIe’s tally. “I don’t know what’s in store next. I don’t want to jump the gun. I have kept it this way for the last four-five years and it’s been very simple. And it’s worked for me. Why change anything that’s working for you?”
England scored 207 for 2 in just 35 overs, trailing India by 238 runs; Ben Duckett scored 133 of those. Earlier, India batted 45 overs in the first half of the day, adding just 119 runs to its overnight 326 for 5. On England’s approach, Ashwin said: “Throughout the series, they have managed to up the scoring rate. They’ve also exploited the inexperience of our batting order. Those two facets have stood out.
“I am not really flustered about my bowling. They are not hitting me in different areas. I’m very clear about the areas where I want them to take risks while bowling my best ball. Spinners are mostly bowling from the media end. I got a good spell going from the other end. Just need to keep creating opportunities. How we understand the game situation and bat in the third innings will dictate how this Test match pans out,” Ashwin said.
Ashwin also praised Duckett for his impactful innings while ruing the fact that he didn’t get to have a crack at him early in the innings. “Duckett is a phenomenal talent in England. Credit to him. He has made a wonderful hundred. I wanted to clap, but the hardcore competitor in me didn’t allow me to clap. Very happy for him,” Ashwin said with a laugh.
“I would’ve really loved to bowl at him when he wasn’t batting 50-plus (smiles). A couple of shots he hit were really special, especially the slog sweeps. Nevertheless, come the next time, I will again try to take him on. That’s just who I am.”
About the condition of the pitch, Ashwin said: “It’s a typical Rajkot pitch. The ball is turning very slowly. If the cracks don’t open up, it’ll still be a very good pitch to bat on.”
Earlier, five runs were added to England’s total after India copped a penalty when Ashwin walked down the protected area of the pitch while batting. All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja was already given a final warning for running down the pitch during his knock of 112. Talking about the incident, Ashwin said: “My poor motor skills didn’t allow me to get off the pitch in time (laughs). It wasn’t on purpose. But if that’s how the English media wants to portray it, so be it.
“My spikes were really thin, wafer thin. And that pitch isn’t breaking. I went to umpires Kumar Dharmasena and Joel Wilson and said it was my poor motor skills. If I were any better, I would have been at the Olympics and not here playing cricket,” he added, with a hearty laugh.
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