The legendary off-spin ace for Team India, Ravichandran Ashwin, revealed a shocking detail regarding a meeting in which captain Rohit and his colleagues discussed the possibility of forfeiting an inning due to rain-related delays, which resulted in the five-day match being shortened to three days in Kanpur. Notably, the play opportunities on Day 3 were further disrupted by the persistent rain on Day 2 and the subsequent wet outfield conditions.
Team India therefore sought to devise a strategy that would enable the team to attempt to taste victory on the last day of the second Test against Bangladesh. But after a lengthy debate, Sharma gave the team the instruction to play fearlessly, which eventually showed on the field. The ace spinner declared the conditions harsh, which made it hard for the bowlers to function on what turned out to be an extremely hot day after the game had begun in cloudy conditions.
Bangladesh began their innings on Day 4 with a score of 107/3 on the scoreboard. The Indian team pushed aggressively and caught the visitors off guard with their energetic attack, even though the bowlers made a challenging request. Consequently, the visitors could only muster a meager objective, which India easily chased down to complete a series rout.
“Yes, we did talk about giving up an inning. It was so hot that we were debating whether or not to give up an innings. After the game, Ashwin spoke with Jio Cinema, “These are tough conditions—I had to change shirts four times a day and it still wasn’t enough. I was sweating a lot.”
Even the spinners found it to be very taxing, with the fast bowlers suffering the most. Even if we managed to get them out for 200 runs, we would still need to use the field for five sessions, which would be taxing for the batters as well. We therefore made the decision to bat and attack the bowling,” the Madras native continued.
Ravichandran Ashwin and Muralitharan are currently tied for the most Player of the Series accolades.
Speaking of Ravichandran Ashwin, the all-round player contributed to his team’s continued domination at home. Additionally, Team India proceeded to completely dominate Bangladesh, solidifying their position atop the World Test Championship (WTC) points standings. Ashwin also accomplished a noteworthy feat during the match.
Notably, the 38-year-old tied the previous great Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan for the Player of the Series (POTS) award after winning it for a record 11 times. The veteran, though, denied any resemblance to Muralitharan, stating that he was only concerned with enjoying the game and that reaching particular milestones is only a small portion of the overall delight of playing cricket.
“I’m not making comparisons between myself and Muralitharan. I’m happy with this significant accomplishment. You’re playing a game you enjoy at the end of the day, therefore it’s good to learn something from it. My enjoyment of the game is reflected in these stats.
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I adore my game, and these are merely accidental outcomes. Even though I’m happy and content, it no longer motivates me “, Ashwin said in closing.
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