During the pre-match press conference ahead of the 5th Test against England, veteran Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin shared insights into a pivotal moment in his career that significantly contributed to his growth as a bowler.
Ravichandran Ashwin is set to mark a significant milestone in the upcoming 5th Test between India and England at Dharamshala, becoming the 14th Indian cricketer to reach the impressive feat of playing 100 Test matches. Joining the ranks of legendary players such as Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble, Kapil Dev, VVS Laxman, Sunil Gavaskar, Dilip Vengsarkar, Sourav Ganguly, Virat Kohli, Ishant Sharma, Harbhajan Singh, Cheteshwar Pujara, and Virender Sehwag, Ashwin reflects on his cricket journey.
The seasoned off-spinner recalls the 2012 England tour of India as a pivotal moment in his career, describing it as both a significant setback and a turning point. Under the captaincy of MS Dhoni, India lost the 4-match Test series 2-1. Ashwin, then relatively inexperienced in international cricket with only four Test series under his belt since his debut in 2011, finished as the fourth-best bowler, securing 14 wickets from the 236.5 overs he bowled.
During a recent press conference, Ashwin candidly discussed various aspects of his career, emphasizing the introspection that followed the 2012 series. The disappointment stemmed from his economy rate of 3.11, leaking 737 runs – the highest among bowlers in the top 5 best performers of the series. This challenging period prompted Ashwin to reflect on his mistakes and proved to be a turning point that ultimately transformed his career for the better.
“That series vs England at home, where Cook and Pietersen scored runs. Can well be the turning point for me. There were talks of me getting dropped. It was a wonderful lesson for me to improve say 5%. I knew what I had to correct. Since then, it was addressing downs,” Ravichandran Ashwin said in the pre-match conference at Dharamshala.
The veteran Indian off-spinner is set to mark his 100th appearance in red-ball matches, making him the sixth spinner globally and the fourth Indian bowler to achieve this milestone. In this significant 100th Test match, Ashwin has the opportunity to emerge as the leading wicket-taker in the series. Currently, he shares the second-highest wicket tally of 17 with Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja.
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