Kandy, Aug 7: The sole T20I against Sri Lanka gives both teams an ideal glimpse into the near future, with the World Twenty20 slated to commence in the island nation in September. Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin expressed his eagerness to test his bowling skills in the shortest format of the game ahead of the mega event. The 25-year-old further went on to explain the finer differences in bowling in ODIs and T20s during a pre-match TV interview.
Excerpts:
Your assessment of the series in Sri Lanka?
Sri Lanka has been a lot of fun. It’s also been about getting to know the conditions here before the T20 World Cup. It has helped the entire team in that regards. We’ve clicked very well as a team to win the ODI series 4-1. We’d like to make it 5-1 with a win in this T20.
How different is it to bowl in T20s and ODIs?
There’s a lot of difference in the ODIs and T20s. In the 50-over format the batsman takes some time before he thinks of going for the big shots. 50 overs is a lot more than we all think it is. In T20 the batsman is prepared to take chances very early in the innings and as a bowler we need to be one-up on the batsman to not get hit on that particular day. One adjustment I’d make in the T20 is be more prepared to get hit.
Are you comfortable bowling with the new ball in T20s?
If you know the batsman’s mindset and know where exactly he is going to hit, you can control the early damage to a certain extent but if it’s not your day it can go horribly wrong. T20 is a format where if you enjoy, you can come up triumphant.
How often do you use the Carom ball?
It’s more to do with the wicket. If the wicket is glossy, the ball just skids on and it doesn’t make any sense bowling it with the new ball. It the wicket is a bit dusty, the new ball actually grips much more than the old one with the Kookaburra.
Are you working towards becoming an all-rounder?
It will be nice to be known as a qualified all-rounder. It’s a very rare breed in international cricket and something everyone would like to be. But two years down the line is a very long time and I’m not really thinking too far ahead. However, I love my batting and spend a lot of time in the nets batting. Wherever it takes me I’ll be very happy to contribute. In this batting line-up, it’s very difficult to get a chance to bat up the order.
