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Ravichandran Ashwin confident about India's improved show in England Test series

India's premier Test spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is confident about putting up a spirited show in the five-Test series in England.

Ravichandran Ashwin confident about Indias improved show in England Test series

New Delhi, July 19: India's premier Test spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is confident about putting up a spirited show in the five-Test series in England.

Ashwin has been out of India's limited-overs' set up ever since the wrist-spin duo Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav became a unified force but the Tamil Nadu will be spearheading the spin department in the longest format of the game.

India squad for England seriesIndia squad for England series

However, it remains to be seen if Ashwin will be accompanied by his spin twin Ravindra Jadeja or young Kuldeep Yadav gets rewarded for the good show on the England tour so far. India will play England on August 1 at Edgbaston in the opening Test. Kuldeep was included in India's Test squad for first three Tests against England.

In an interview with ICC, Ashwin played only two Tests in the 2014 series and picked up just three wickets. All of them in the second innings at The Oval. But the current World No.5 in Test Rankings for bowlers now hopes to emerge from the series an improved player, with an added layer of skill sets.

However, Ashwin of today is an entirely different player than Ashwin of 2014. The tall off-spinner has worked a lot on acclimatising to English conditions, and during his stint with Worcestershire in 2017, he picked up 20 wickets in just four matches, at an average of 29.15 and an economy rate of 3.16. He also averaged 42.80 with the bat.

"I know England really well," he said. "It's a lovely place and I enjoy going to England. I look forward to going there and enjoying playing cricket there."

The 31-year-old, who at present is leading his side Dindigul Dragons in Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL), has a decent record with both bat and ball against England on the whole, with 45 wickets and 655 runs in 11 Tests. There has been the talk of him returning to Worcestershire ahead of the upcoming series too.

"You don't get so many opportunities to do that in the current, very jigsaw-puzzled schedule that international cricket has," Ashwin pointed out. "But for me, it is all about going there, understanding situations and trying to react to different situations.

"I want to try and use all my experience over the years that I have played Test cricket for, and make it for the best use, make sure that I give my best there, and come out as another cricketer who has learned as much as it is possible to learn from other tours."

The upcoming series is already being billed as the biggest test for the No.1 Test side.

India's previous overseas tour was in South Africa where they lost the 3-Test series 1-2 but came back strongly to clinch the successive ODI and T20I series convincingly. One of the prime reasons why India failed to do well in the Test series was their under-preparedness but one feels they would have spent enough time on the English soil by the time the Test series starts.

"We know we are a good team. It is all about responding to the situations that are thrown at us," said Ashwin. "Sometimes I feel we overcook ourselves, overprepare ourselves. It is very important to stay in the moment and react to it.

"What also will be crucial is how well we adapt and acclimatise earlier on in the series. But once we do, that it is all about responding to the situations and having that belief that you can retaliate at any point in time. In a long Test series we are going to commit mistakes, and likewise, we are going to expect the opposition to commit mistakes."

Team India will play a four-day warm-up match against Essex from July 25, before the Test series.

Story first published: Thursday, July 19, 2018, 12:52 [IST]
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