IND vs ENG | Absolutely love my art, want to keep bowling till I can, expresses Ravichandran Ashwin

Ravichandran Ashwin had a tough outing in the first innings of the ongoing Chepauk Test as he was burdened with an extra responsibility of also trying to control the flow of runs apart from lead spinner to take wickets in the absence of an accurate Ravindra Jadeja. But in the second innings, in favourable conditions, he made the full use of the turn and bounce on offer on day four and picked up six wickets to end the game with nine scalps. As a result, England got bundled out on 178 in their second innings leaving 420 to chase for India in their fourth innings. 

Speaking in the presser at the end of the day, the Tamil Nadu spinner asserted that he loves his art and wants to play as long as he can. 

“I have quite seen a few interesting observations about me bowling so many overs. When it comes to bowling, it is my joy that comes up when I bowl, I absolutely love my art. My body was fresh when I came out and bowled today, I just want to keep bowling till I can,” Ashwin told reporters in a virtual presser at the end of day four. 

England had the option of asking India to bat again after they got India all-out on 337 in response to England's 578 but they decided against it. Ashwin backed England's decision as he felt it was quite natural for them to do so given they would want to attack India with fresh bowlers.

“Look, they had two options, either asked us to follow on or bat on, they wanted to give rest to their bowlers. That could have been the thinking behind their decision to bat. And fresh bowlers could make a huge difference, so that might have been the reasoning behind their decision which is fair and expected.”

He also applauded the way England have been playing in the last couple of years and also praised the way the tourists have managed workl oad of their players. The Three Lions have adopted the policy of rest and rotation so that all their players stay fit even if it compromises the best XI.

“Everywhere around the world, if you win the toss, you get an advantage. In this part of the world, last time around, they won the toss in Mohali and Mumbai, We expected them to play well, they have been playing well in the last two years. They have been managing workload and everything perfectly. It setups perfectly for the rest of the series.”

Ishant Sharma today achieved the landmark of 300 Test wickets. The Indian offie said Ishant always carries a smile on his face, which is a good thing to see. 

“A story on Ishant Sharma? His biggest plus is he will have a smile always on his face. I went and talked to Ishant during the last few overs, where I had a chat with skipper Kohli. He was absolutely happy with the spinners bowling the last few overs on this surface.”