IND vs AUS | Wanted to dead-bat the Australian bowling like Faf du Plessis, reveals R Ashwin
Ashwin stated that he wanted to just dead-bat the Australian attack
|Post the Sydney Test, Ravichandran Ashwin has revealed that his intentions were to just dead-bat the Australian bowling attack just like Faf du Plessis did on his Test debut in 2012. Vihari, on the other hand, stated that the last session was a real experience for him, batting with a hamstring.
While the Indians were physically and mentally bogged down by the events that preceded the final day of play in the Sydney Test, they never gave up, coming hard at the Australian bowling attack. Soon after Rahaneās dismissal, the hosts were aiming to wrap the Indian batting lineup quickly but paid the price for it.Ā
The counter-attacking partnership from Rishabh Pant and Cheteshwar Pujara gave the visitors hope of victory but injuries in plenty meant that they had to play out for a draw. However, that didnāt come to them that easily, with Hanuma Vihari injuring his hamstring early in the time he spent at the crease.Ā
That combined with a sore back for Ravichandran Ashwin and a fracture to Ravindra Jadeja put Australia as favourites. But India not just stormed the weather, they came on top of the waves unflinching. In the video posted by BCCI.tv, Ashwin revealed that his intentions were to dead-bat just like Faf du Plessis.
"Entirely, I cannot explain how I am feeling but I think it was really, really special. In fact, both of us went numb and blank for a while, we did not celebrate towards the end because we did not know what to make of it. We were so channelised for taking on certain bowlers and kept blocking. Last night, when I went to bed with a sore back, I was just telling myself that 'if I can just keep dead batting like how Faf du Plessis did in Adelaide, I can give myself a good chance'," Ashwin said in a video posted by BCCI, reported TOI.Ā
On the other hand, Vihari, who was ultimately not just playing with a hamstring injury but also under the pressure of losing his place, kept his cool and played one of the defining innings that he will ever play in his career. The duo combined to face 240 deliveries and kept the Australian attack at bay.Ā
"That session was a real experience for me. It was something that you can only dream of, batting on day five. The series is 1-1 and if you can do it for the team, the satisfaction, I think it will slowly sink and then we will realise how big of an effort that was. Was really happy like how Ash, like an elder brother, was communicating and telling me let's focus one ball at a time and take it as deep as possible. The communication that we had was really special," he said.
