Home hero Ravichandran Ashwin on Thursday said he made a conscious effort to bat aggressively on the red-earth pitch laid out for the first Test against Bangladesh. The ploy worked brilliantly as Ashwin pulled India out of a hole with a sublime hundred in front of his home crowd. “It's an old Chennai surface with a bit of bounce and carry. The red-earth pitch allows you to play a few strokes if you're prepared to just line up and give it a bit of a whack if there's width,” Ashwin told the host announcers after the opening day.
“Of course I've always been swinging my bat outside the off-stump. I've been working on a few things and on a surface like this with a bit of bite, if you're going to go after the ball, you might as well go after it really hard like Rishabh does.”
Rishabh Pant also batted well for his 39 off 52 balls before being succumbed to a loose hit. On a day when India lost their top four for 96, Ashwin showed remarkable control and dominated the Bangladesh bowling in his brilliant 102 not out off 112 balls in a resolute rearguard effort, as he forged an unbroken partnership with Ravindra Jadeja (86*). This was Ashwin's sixth Test ton. Incidentally, MS Dhoni also has six Test centuries.
Ashwin attributed his strong performance to his recent stint in the Tamil Nadu Premier League, where he worked on his batting. “It helps that I am back after a T20 tournament (TNPL). I have worked on my batting quite a bit,” he said.
“It's always a special feeling to play in front of a home crowd. This is a ground where I love to play cricket. It has given me a lot of great memories,” said Ashwin, who hit his second hundred at the venue.
Jadeja is one of the best hitters
Ashwin also thanked his teammate Jadeja for the support during a difficult phase of the innings.
“He (Jadeja) was really helpful. There was a point when I was sweating and getting a little tired. Jaddu was quick to notice that and guided me through that phase,” said Ashwin, who praised Jadeja's ability to give crucial advice at the right time.
“Jaddu has been one of our best hitters for the team in the last few years. His presence was solid and his advice that we don't have to convert twos into threes was very useful for me.”
The duo's 195-run alliance for the seventh wicket took India from a shaky 144/6 to a convincing 339/6 at stumps on the first day.
Ashwin said about the next day: “It’s a typical old-school Chennai track, where overspin gives some bounce.
“The wicket will do its tricks much later in the game. There's enough in it for the quicks: good carry, good bounce if we present the seam really hard.
“The new ball will do a bit, and we'll have to start again tomorrow. It's still damp underneath, so hopefully it will dry out quicker as it dries out,” he added.
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