Want to take Indian cricket to 'greater heights': R Ashwin

Galle, July 29: Regarded as a great team man, star India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin today said he never plays the game with records in mind and for him country's interest always supersedes his personal goals.

Ashwin claimed three wickets giving away 65 runs in Sri Lanka's second innings to help India bundle out the hosts for 245 runs and win the first Test of the three match series by a massive 304 runs.

In less than six years since making his debut, Ashwin has become the fastest bowler to claim 250 Test wickets, and now needs just 25 more scalps in his next six Tests to become the fastest to 300.

Ashwin so far claimed 279 wickets from 50 Test matches. But for the wily Tamil Nadu off-spinner numbers hardly have any significance in his career.

"For me it's always teams first. Since my childhood days when I dreamt of playing for India I had one goal and that is to take Indian cricket to greater heights," Ashwin said at the end of the first Test against Sri Lanka here.

"I don't have any specific goals at all. I don't have any numbers in front of my eyes to achieve. I just want to give my best for the country and in the process I know I can achieve something for myself as well," he added.

India won the first Test within four days and are now leading the three-match series 1-0. The second Test of the series will be played in Colombo August 3 to 7.

PTI