Ravichandran Ashwin plays a shot to get dismissed in the Wankhede Test against New Zealand. (Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty)
India all-rounder R Ashwin has put his hand up and admitted his performances was one of the reasons for their Test series loss against New Zealand. Ashwin especially singled out the lack of contributions from his bat lower down the order which has often bailed the team out from challenging situations has one of the main reasons.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin said that a self introspection was the need of the hour and said he could have contributed more with the ball and bat.
“I expect a lot from myself. I’m a guy who says I’m the reason for everything that went wrong. Yes, I’m also a big reason and a big part of it. What I was very saddened by the fact is that in this series — I’m not a person who will single out and show in a team game and it is not right also to do it, you got to be an ultimate team man — I couldn’t contribute lower order runs. As a bowler I know that runs are a vital currency for a bowler. And several stages in this tournament Jadeja played well in this series. I started off well in many places then I threw it away on a couple of occasions,” Ashwin said.
Ravichandran Ashwin reacts after being dismissed in the Wankhede Test against New Zealand. (Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty)
Right through the three Tests in Bengaluru, Pune and Mumbai, India’s batting was found wanting as they endured a forgettable series at home, suffering their first series loss in the format since 2012. Pointing out to the Mumbai Test especially, Ashwin said: “We are bowling on Day 1 of the firs Test and it is not easy to do so in India. And it is even more difficult for spinners. We bowl 60-70 overs and next day when we bowl again it becomes doubly difficult. On touring teams you know the impact it has. Without the rest they say — even Rahul bhai says, ‘give a night sleep’s to the bowlers and see the difference. It is an important aspect and when I couldn’t contribute I kept asking myself ‘why did I start well again and again and left in hanging? Where did we make a mistake. I keep asking myself. Was even complaining to my kids. But it wasn’t enough,” Ashwin said.
Right through the series Indian batsmen’s technique against the spinners on the turning tracks came under scrutiny as Ajaz Patel, Mitchell Santner, Glenn Phillips spun a web around them. “As far as defensive technique is concerned, I will praise the opposition for one thing. They put us under enough pressure to make those mistakes. They put the ball in the same place. Whether this has happened before or not, it has definitely happened. We were that close from losing the series but it has ended up 4-1, 3-0. And I know those fine moments — it were the lower order runs. In this series we didn’t get the gold dust of those lower-order runs, which really opened the game for New Zealand,” Ashwin said.
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