CHENNAI: In the space of 14 months, Ravichandran Ashwin felt like he was making his Test debut two times.
The first time he echoed this sentiment was against South Africa at Visakhapatnam last October. After taking five wickets there - his first Test since playing Australia at Adelaide in 2018 - he felt like he was making his debut. It had taken only one five-wicket haul from Kuldeep Yadav to make India coach Ravi Shastri call him the best spinner in the side. The second time was on Friday, after picking up four wickets in an impressive bowling performance.
Like in this Test, India had made only 250 in the first innings at Adelaide two years ago and in an attack comprising Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah, it was Ashwin who had to break the Australian top-order with three wickets, which restricted them to 235. On Friday, he was back on the same turf, once again let down by his batting unit.
When Ashwin came on after the dinner break in the 27th over - a period where batsmen have found it easy to score in day/night Tests - the visitors were seeking quick wickets to wrest the initiative away from the hosts. In the lone day/night Test he played in Kolkata last year, Ashwin had bowled only five overs and that too with the SG ball.
On Friday, he was operating with the Kookaburra, which was just old enough to not cause trouble to batsmen. If this wasn't enough, Ashwin had another role to play, which he is used to in Tests overseas. As he said after the end of the day's play, quite often on unresponsive pitches for spinners, he is asked to keep one end tight so that pacers are rotated from the other end. However, on Friday, Ashwin had the freedom to go on the attack as Bumrah had already removed the openers.
And attack he did. He first outfoxed Steve Smith in a manner only he can. Travis Head and Cameron Green didn't stand a chance as he kept them under pressure. Those three quick wickets ensured India won the decisive second session.
"Every spinner is different. Sometimes, things can get blown out of proportion as to how one approaches his trade. Even in this Test match, Nathan Lyon and I have bowled differently. We are different bowlers and successful in our own ways. For me, it is not much about trajectory. It is about mixing it up and making it difficult for the batsmen to defend and score at the same time. Sometimes, when you are playing abroad, my job is to just hold one end up and rotate the bowlers at the other end and to go for wickets if I get assistance or enough early wickets. For me, it is important to keep going and making it as difficult as possible for the batsmen to defend," Ashwin said.
Had he just gone about holding up one end, comparisons would have been made with Lyon, who got turn and bounce on Day 1. He has been in this territory before. Perhaps, unjustifiably so.
In overseas conditions, Ashwin has been asked why he hasn't been successful considering the opposition spinners have managed to thrive in the same series. What gets lost is that his own teammates have made mistakes while playing spinners even as the opposition played Ashwin cautiously. So, there has always been a question hanging over his head, even though he has been the most successful Indian bowler over the last 10 years.
Had Ravindra Jadeja been fit, India might have possibly gone with him as his batting performances have been better than Ashwin's in the last 18 months. "In the last two years, people might not reflect upon not-so-great situations and matches, but I've had decent outings every time we have gone on to play abroad in the last 18 months or so. I have put them on the shelf and it is in the backyard. As far as I'm concerned, I have learned from it and I want to enjoy my trade. I want to have all the fun I possibly can. I don't want to sit back and think whether it was the best. There is one more innings to go and I'm looking forward to the entire Test series. It is a great opportunity to play.
"I have always maintained this, especially when you travel. The passages of play need to go in your favour as a spinner because you are doing a twin job and you're doing it against the conditions. I keep watching and see if I can learn, also prepare thoroughly for the batsmen and put in an earnest effort. That's all one can do. How people perceive it and how they compare it is for them to do," Ashwin added.