'The first thing he told me in 2011 when I met him for the first time he said I don't like anybody telling me how acting needs to be done. I am sure you will not like someone telling you how cricket needs to be played.'
'We are locked down as there is hope that we will return to some normalcy, we are all confined to our homes, we all have hope in future, we will have to anticipate what is coming ahead of us, we will be required to be mentally switched on as anything can happen.'
The complete lockdown of country in wake of coronavirus is perhaps nature's way of reminding that at times sportsperson take the game too seriously when there are far bigger things in life, says India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin. The novel coronavirus pandemic has so far claimed 11 Indian lives along with more than 500 positive cases with global death toll crossing 16,000.
Ashwin spoke about how WTC has provided a context to Test cricket and would love to see more traditional format games in neutral venues.
Ravindra Jadeja's improved batting and more control on a flat deck has prompted his selection ahead of a champion bowler like Ravichandran Ashwin in the playing XI in the two-Test series in the West Indies, India's head coach Ravi Shastri said.
Ashwin missed three Test matches on the tour of Australia due to a left-sided abdominal strain, something that also made him miss a Test match in England.
It was a headache to decide between Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav as third spinner: Rohit Sharma
Australian batting mainstay Steve Smith conceded that he has let seasoned Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin dictate terms in their duels so far, something that 'I have probably never let any spinner do in my career.'
'There were tough conversations with him, and I don't think he would have appreciated them at that stage. But I had to be honest.'
Skipper Joe Root, who led England to a series-levelling win at the Headingley, expects an Indian backlash in the penultimate Test and said they're ready for all combinations including facing the "world-class" R Ashwin at Oval.
E A S Prasanna, whom Ian Chappell rates as the greatest off-spinner ever, tells Harish Kotian what worked for Moeen and what didn't for Ashwin.
The legendary Muttiah Muralitharan only sees Ravichandran Ashwin achieving the 700-800 Test wicket mark among the current crop of spinners and feels Nathan Lyon, who is set to play his 100th Test in Brisbane, 'may be not good enough to reach that far'.
'If I'm not good at something, I'll be my first best critic. And I will work on it and I'm not someone who will sit on my laurels.'
Warner played some audacious strokes batting both left and right-handed.
Ashwin termed Sri Lanka's tour of 2015 as a landmark for Indian team for their come-from-behind 2-1 series win. "In 2015, we were sandwiched into the middle of a leadership takeover. Virat had just taken over in Australia and we came here having played one Test in Bangladesh. We had set ourselves a lot of goals for each other and I would say we have achieved them and come out with flying colours over the last couple of years as a group"
It wasn't very difficult to read between the lines as to what he meant after Ravindra Jadeja was preferred in the West Indies.
Former opener Gautam Gambhir backed Ravichandran Ashwin's return to the One-Day International squad ahead of the World Cup, saying a finger-spinner like him could be as effective as a wrist-spinner in English conditions.
India might have felt the absence of their injured No 1 spinner Ravichandran Ashwin.
Australia spinner Adam Zampa said he withdrew from the Indian Premier League (IPL) because he felt drained after last year's heavy schedule and that he wanted to be rested ahead of the Twenty20 World Cup in June.
'Over the years he's proved himself with the red ball and even in white ball he doesn't have a bad record. The way he has come back and bowled in Dubai and then two games here. It shows the quality that he has.'
Having found no success in dismissing Buttler, who was firing on all cylinders, a desperate Ashwin did the unthinkable when he 'mankaded' Buttler in controversial circumstances in the 13th over with the batsman going strong on 69 off 43 balls.
Following a 434-run victory against England on Sunday at Rajkot, star India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja stated that he was looking to build a partnership with skipper Rohit Sharma in the first innings of the third Test as the three wickets fell very quickly at Niranjan Shah Stadium.
'I would have picked Ashwin for his batting, let alone his bowling. That is why I can't believe he isn't playing because he has got five Test centuries as well. It is very strange.'
Ashwin and opener KL Rahul played pivotal roles as Kings XI produced a superb all-round performance to script a comfortable 12-run win over Rajasthan Royals in a second leg IPL clash to bring their campaign back on track on Tuesday.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI in the fourth Test against England?
High-flying Rajasthan Royals will look to continue their winning momentum and consolidate their position at the top when they take on a resurgent Lucknow Super Giants, who would be gunning for revenge at home in an IPL match in Lucknow on Saturday.
'Muttiah Muralitharan and Ravichandran Ashwin can't be compared in a strait-jacketed manner.'
TV replays showed that Ashwin had waited to let Buttler move out of the crease before removing the bails.
England batting great Kevin Pietersen has said his relentless defensive drills at the nets was the mantra to his success during the triumphant 2012-13 tour of India.
KKR mentor Gautam Gambhir rates Sunil Narine as one the greatest bowler in the history of IPL.
'He felt a twitch in the back -- that's what he said. We need to assess and monitor what he's going to do over the next couple of days'
Ravichandran Ashwin may have had a huge role in instilling self doubt in the England batsmen but his spin partner Ravindra Jadeja reckons that is has also got a lot to do with which team is dominating the proceedings.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for the first Test against England?
Skipper Ben Stokes expressed pride in how England have fought toe to toe with India despite not having 'a chance in hell of competing' with the hosts.
'I don't give myself one second of sympathy. That's why I put that tweet because I wanted closure. I hated the fact that people are giving me sympathy, I just couldn't take it anymore.'
Skipper Sanju Samson's departure left Rajasthan Royals in a tight spot but the team still should have won the IPL match against Delhi Capitals in New Delhi, says their head coach Kumar Sangakkara.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing for the fifth Test against England?
Indian conditions up there with the hardest: Ben Foakes
On being asked about his consistent performance, R Ashwin, who became the fastest Indian bowler to claim 150 wickets in 29 Tests, said, "I think two things. I have got a good stock of my bowling at the crease."
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