Ashwin prepared to be patient in West Indies: I'll have to try and be as boring as possible

"I'm sure it's going to be challenging because of the kind of wickets and the kind of heat. The way we quickly adapt to these conditions is going to be very, very important. From whatever I saw in the last game, the wicket was pretty slow, it looks like it is going to be slow (for the next game).

"It will be a bit of a challenge. I'm sure I'll have to be prepared for a long haul and try and be as boring as possible in terms of trying to plug away all day long. Once the results come, I think it will come a bit faster. We just have to wait for that one breakthrough, that's what I figured out from the last game," Ashwin said in a presser, reported Cricbuzz.

Being the leader of the pack is something I take pride in and there are a lot of challenges that come with it and lot of advantages that come with it. You know you are always confident, you know you are the one who is going go ahead and try doing the job the team is looking forward from you"

In their first practice match on the tour, which Ashwin watched from the sidelines, against WICB President's XI, India were frustrated for a long time by the 122-run stand between Rajendra Chandrika and Shai Hope. However, after a long spell, Amit Mishra was able to break the partnership, which led to a middle-order collapse. Ashwin felt that the match showed a sign of things to come, where the bowlers will have to be patient with their line and length.

"The other day you saw Mishy [Amit Mishra] bowl for 15-16 overs without any wickets and once he got a breakthrough, he started breaking through at regular intervals. So that's what we have to look for, especially in the starting days - the first couple of days or even three days of the Test match - there's not going to be a lot in it for the spinners.

Also, read: Ashwin – superstar bowler in the making

"There might be a little bit of bounce and little bit of slowness in the wicket that we can exploit. But it's got to be pretty boring line and lengths, keep teasing away with your flight. So we're pretty much ready for it and everybody is prepared pretty well. We'll see how well we can use the practice match coming up," Ashwin explained.

The 29-year-old is now enjoying the challenge of leading India's bowling attack, and insists that having someone like Anil Kumble in the camp will help him gain the “right impetus”.

"Being the leader of the pack is something I take pride in and there are a lot of challenges that come with it and lot of advantages that come with it. You know you are always confident, you know you are the one who is going go ahead and try doing the job the team is looking forward from you, to try and deliver the breakthroughs and the vital wickets that are required. The challenge that comes with it is obviously pressure. But as I already mentioned, I always maintain that pressure is something that I played for and that's one thing that keeps you going. So I pretty much enjoy it.

"So someone like him will definitely understand how the situation is, how the conditions are, and he might give you that right impetus that you need. For example, if you are going well and the wickets haven't fallen, he might be that one hand around your shoulder to come and tell you 'that's exactly what we need to keep you doing'. So it just enables you to keep going for longer.

I know what are the boxes that need to be ticked in terms of getting into a Test match. We haven't played Test cricket for a long time. So in terms of trying to go for longer periods of time with the ball, bowl longish spells and try and build those boring lines, these are things that you need to tick."

"From how the players from the opposition side played in the last game, it gave me a picture that they are pretty much used to these conditions. For example, they opened with Chandrika and the way he batted, it gave me a glimpse at how they might be going about it.

"Over the last year or two, they [West Indies] have played really well in the first innings. So that is going to be a challenge for us, to try and really be boring and try and come at them hard in the first innings, try and knock them over early and be as disciplined as possible. The first innings is going to be very important for us to follow into the Test match. So that's going to be a challenge for the bowling group.

"I know what are the boxes that need to be ticked in terms of getting into a Test match. We haven't played Test cricket for a long time. So in terms of trying to go for longer periods of time with the ball, bowl longish spells and try and build those boring lines, these are things that you need to tick. So probably this match will give me a clearer idea. Getting into Antigua, I might be in a better position to prepare better," Ashwin added, reported Cricbuzz.

Also, read: Anil Kumble | Can the legendary bowler transform into a great coach?