Confident of turnaround: Ashwin
First Published : 24 Jan 2012, 01:09
Last Modified : 24 Jan 2012, 01:09
Adelaide, Jan 24: India started the Adelaide Test on the right note picking three wickets in the first session, but lost the advantage as Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke put on a 251-run unbroken partnership. Australia eventually ended Day 1 at a healthy 335 for three. Offspinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who claimed two of the three wickets that fell on the day, discussed his bowling at the end of day press conference.
Excerpts:
On the wicket
It was a first-day wicket; there wasn’t much spin. I don’t know this wicket either so I don’t know [whether] it’s going to spin […]. It was really good batting by Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke; they really took the game away from us in the second session.
On whether being asked to bowl early in the innings was a shock
It wasn’t a shock to me; I was anyway prepared for any kind of challenge that could be thrown at me. I was quite ready for it. As you know, the last game we didn’t have any ammunition to throw when [David Warner] was going after us so when [captain Virender Sehwag] asked me to come into the attack, I had my plans ready and executed them properly.
On the possibility of turning things around and pushing for a win
Yes, there are a few seniors in the team, they have already told us about how the first innings pans out at the Adelaide Oval and how good it is for batting in the first three four days of the game. [It] really changes towards the second innings. We are confident about [changing things around]. We have to turn up and take early wickets tomorrow morning.
On whether Sehwag had warned him about introducing him early in the attack
It’s not like he spoke to me or anything like that – it was an instinctive decision to bring me on. He told me an over before that I was going to come on from that side and I was just wondering what to do and what would be my plan. I really wanted to make sure that my plan was bang on in place. I wanted to execute the plan even if [the wicket] wasn’t really ideal for that. I wanted to be really sure about what I was doing. I thought I was pretty good with what I had in mind.
On whether Ishant Sharma was unlucky to go wicketless or whether he needed to do things differently
[…] You can’t really help it; he does not have the rub of the green. The nicks are not going to [a fielder’s] hand and he is beating the batsmen so many times. Michael Clarke was beaten on 130. It’s that kind of day at the office.
On getting three wickets early in the Australian innings earlier in the series too but then running into a partnership
I don’t think as a bowling unit we have a psychological block [owing to] that but we were definitely egging each other on in the second session. We [knew we] had to really be tight in that particular phase after lunch where it was quite crucial. […] We gave away a few easy runs to both [Ponting and Clarke] and they just took off from there. After that it was easy to carry the momentum on. It’s not like a roadblock but it’s just happened in two Tests; the one at Sydney and in Adelaide now. We’ll look to get a couple of wickets tomorrow.
On whether the Indians would be able to chase a big target or whether a repeat of the Sydney collapse was a possibility
I think we have nothing to lose at this point of time. […] We are 0-3 down; I think it gives us a bit of a license to be carefree and go out and just play our game which can be a real blessing in disguise […] All that is important is to just get those first 20-30 runs and really stick it out. I think [the batsmen] will have to look for those initial starts and capitalise on them. I think that will be crucial in this game.
