England will take on India in the second Test starting July 2.
537 Test wickets for India, the second-best after Anil Kumble. 37 five-wicket hauls, the most for an Indian in the longest format. Ravichandran Ashwin and his numbers speak great volumes about the impact he’s had on the game. He was one of the best Indian spinners to have graced the game. We were able to get a glance at his artistry on the field in his playing days. But the Indian off-spinner is acing the game yet again. This time, not with the ball in hand, but the mic!
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In a recent interview, Ravichandran Ashwin has voiced his opinions about the second Test between England and India starting on July 2 in Birmingham. The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) off-spinner touched on various points, including the selection or non-selection of Jasprit Bumrah, England’s strategy, and how India can tackle the same, as well as a comparison between the strengths of both teams. Ashwin believes that India has a strong chance to bounce back in the series, provided they make the right decisions tactically, and here’s a sneak peek into what he went on to say.
Whether Jasprit Bumrah will play or not is one of the most discussed points in the lead-up to the second Test. Upon asking the same question to Ravichandran Ashwin, he shared his happiness on a lighter note, saying that he felt happy about people discussing so much about a bowler instead of a batter before the start of an overseas Test. Having said that, he stressed that if Bumrah wants to play, he must. India are 1-0 down in the series, and having Bumrah will be a huge chance to level the series going into the third Test. Ashwin thinks that if it becomes 2-0 to England, it would be a very big lead to catch up.
Ashwin also added that the team should consider the difficulty that the pacer might have to go through, because he is returning from an injury. He went on to state that workload management wasn’t a thing in the past and has come into the picture with more and more matches along the calendar. Also, the pacer has got a good week’s rest between the two games and should be raring to go ahead of the second Test in Birmingham.
India’s former off-spinner had a very clear opinion about how India should approach England’s style of play. He mentioned that the English batters tend to play Bumrah safely and do not allow him to get wickets. The other bowlers are where the English batters manage to get all their runs from. Hence, Ashwin stated that it is extremely important to hold the flow of runs when Bumrah is not bowling. Ashwin also stressed setting defensive fields and playing negative cricket if required. The idea is not to let the Englishmen get away with quick runs. He insisted that the Indians should play with the patience of the hosts.
Furthermore, Ashwin explained that the saying – ‘Go for wickets’ is a lie. He continued to state that pressure will give a bowler wickets. Hence, it is crucial to build pressure on the batters and choke their flow of runs. The 38-year-old finger spinner was all praises for Rishabh Pant.
“Rishabh Pant will be one of the best batters for India in Test cricket. Not because of his attacking skills, but because of his defence. Pant has got a magnificent defensive technique. If he realises the importance of making daddy hundreds, the bowlers will set defensive fields and be under tremendous pressure”, Ashwin spoke.
Ashwin also spoke about the importance of patiently batting for longer periods of the game. He insisted that if a batter is getting a 130, he should push for a double century.
In Ashwin’s words, Batters will have to get daddy hundreds.
“It is pretty straightforward. We are playing Shardul at No.8. He can surely come in and score a 50. You know that No.9, 10, and 11 aren’t going to give you any runs. So batters will have to take responsibility. Make daddy hundreds. So if you are a Shubman Gill playing on 100, try and convert that into a big score. Don’t get out to Shoaib Bashir by hitting a slog sweep to deep square-leg. Test matches aren’t won in one session. But they can be lost in one session.”, Ashwin said in an interview with Journalist Vimal Kumar.
The off-spinner wants India to bat for at least nine sessions in the Test match. By doing this, the visitors will succeed in keeping the English players on the field for longer durations of time, tiring them out. He also said that England cannot play defensively. They will not alter their approach. So the best way for India is to play with England’s patience. It will be very important to see how India bats in the second Test starting July 2.
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After India’s disappointing five-wicket loss to England in the first Test, there are some questions looming over the changes in the team for the next assignment. However, Ashwin thinks India shouldn’t over-complicate things. Upon being asked if Dhruv Jurel can start in place of Sai Sudharsan or Karun Nair, Ashwin wasn’t very convinced.
“Dhruv Jurel is a fantastic player for sure. But if he was to play, he should have started in the first Test itself. Now, the thing is, Karun Nair or Sai Sudharsan haven’t done much wrong to be benched. So if you chop and change too much, it can affect the player’s morale. Similarly, with Yashasvi Jaiswal, the management needs to tell him that they believe in him”, Ashwin stated.
In the absence of Bumrah, the off-spinner agreed that Akash Deep would be a good choice. But tactically, he also thought that Arshdeep Singh and Kuldeep Yadav would make a lot of sense, provided the former’s ability to create rough patches for the chinaman to exploit. He mentioned that India should play to their strengths and test England’s patience. The only difference between the Indian and English sides is batting depth, so England will look to bat last and chase.
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