Bengaluru (Karnataka): Spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has said that he is fighting his own benchmarks as his overseas Test performance is constantly compared to his performance in India.
Ashwin has been the most successful spinner for India in the recent few years, however, there has been just one instance where Ashwin has played every match in a Test series held outside Asia.
“See, one thing is for sure. I’m actually fighting my own benchmarks in a lot of ways. The number of games that I’ve managed to win for my country and for myself, the number of successes I’ve had and the excellence I’ve shown is always measured up in equal parlance when I travel away from the country, which is great,” Ashwin said in a videocast hosted by ESPNCricinfo.
In India’s recent two-match Test series against New Zealand earlier this year, Ashwin went on to play the first match but ended up losing his spot to Ravindra Jadeja in the second Test.
Since the tour of West Indies in 2016, Ashwin has played 12 Tests outside Asia, managing to take 44 wickets at an average of 27.65.
The spinner has also played some county cricket in order to develop more skills in his arsenal to take wickets on unfriendly pitches.
“Increasingly the number of games I’ve played in England, I’ve started realising that for a spinner to be bowling in alien conditions and to be able to repeat similar numbers as at home, you need to be bowling in all the possible right times of the game, first,” Ashwin said.
“And, secondly, you do need a little bit of luck. After 2014 [December 2013] when I had that South Africa game, I’ve taken a very serious look at my numbers and those numbers have significantly increased very, very well,” he added.
Ashwin would have been in action for Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League (IPL) if the tournament had started on March 29.
However, the tournament was suspended indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic. (ANI)
