Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], February 27 (ANI): Seasoned off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin on Saturday said that bio-bubbles do come with their challenges, but it has helped in making the team bonding a little better as cricketers are not allowed to interact with people from outside.
India had managed to defeat England within two days in the pink-ball Test. The match saw both India and England batsmen failing to shine and getting out to balls that didn’t turn and skidded through from the spinners. With this win, India is one step closer to reaching the finals of the World Test Championship (WTC).
“Look, I had my family for the Australian tour, I had got them to Dubai as well for the second half of the IPL. For this tour, I have not got them here, I have used rotation policy and I have left them at home. Without them around, it would be incredibly hard, yet in larger hotel spaces, we do get our entertainment area, we bond much better. One thing that I must say that because of this bio-bubble, players are getting together more often than it was there in the past,” said Ashwin during a virtual press conference.
“The team bonding has gotten better. I am also sure that people do feel a little bit of boredom or they feel lonely, it will be nice if they seek help. But for me, it has been mostly around watching something online and reading books,” he added.
In the third Test against England, Ashwin went past the landmark of 400 Test wickets, and with this, he came the second fastest after Muttiah Muralitharan to achieve the feat.
When asked whether he would like to break the record of Anil Kumble’s tally of 619 wickets, Ashwin said: “I stopped thinking about all the landmarks a long time ago. It has been about how I can get better and what more I can offer to the team. I am looking to get better as an individual and cricketer every single day. I am not looking forward to what lies ahead and probably this is the reason why I am really enjoying my game right now. I would like to be in this space.
“This is probably one of the best phases in terms of awareness I have about my skill. Sometimes you want to execute something, but you are not there. You are off the mark by certain inches and this makes a lot of difference in the sport. All the things are coming together and I feel blessed that the things are coming together,” he added.
If India wins or draws the last Test against England, then the side would qualify for the finals of the WTC and the side will take on New Zealand in the summit clash.
“We play with the intent to win most often, that’s what we speak about as a group. You never go into a game looking to draw the game as a safer option. We will look to win the game,” said Ashwin. (ANI)