JOIN US'Need to take early wickets'
R Ashwin endured contrasting phases on the third day of the second Test here on Saturday.
Where he hastened the end of Sri Lanka’s first innings with three quick wickets in the morning to go with his two scalps the previous day, the off-spinner bowled 24 wicketless overs in hosts’ second innings which finished at 209/2 after being asked to follow on by India. Ashwin attributed his conflicting fortunes to the vagaries of the pitch and the changing nature of the ball.
“It had a bit of venom in the morning, the first session,” he said while reflecting on his bowling on the SSC pitch. “As the ball got older and we bowled the second time around, it is kind of fizzling out and the edges aren’t carrying that much to the fielders. We beat the bat a lot. I thought (Kusal) Mendis batted beautifully. He put Jaddu (Ravindra Jadeja) off his length very quickly. Kept on sweeping him, and he was lucky, he got away with it, but credit to him, he batted beautifully.
The tweaker, who claimed his 26th five-wicket haul, felt the bowlers task will get only tougher as the surface was getting progressively slow.
“It is not going to be easy work tomorrow for sure. We will have to be really disciplined. I thought we gave a few runs more than ideally we should have given today. Tomorrow we can probably try and squeeze them out and try and nip a few wickets up early. It is not going to be easy because it is slowing down at a very very quick pace,” he analysed.
The 30-year-old bowler felt the new ball, with its hardness, was going to be crucial. “The second new ball, therefore, becomes important. But as I said they got a great partnership but the guys coming in will have to start from the scratch. There is going to be an equal challenge on both sides.”
Ashwin also spoke on what the team factors in while enforcing the follow-on. The question was raised because India had a chance to do so in the Galle Test as well but instead decided to bat again.
“Most often than not we have based it on how fresh or how tired the bowlers are,” he pointed out. “I thought we did get them out in under two sessions so we thought it was the right time to enforce the follow-on. We also felt the wicket will keep on slowing down so it is not going to be easy work as the game goes deeper into the fourth or the fifth day. It is not going to be very easy. You might see the ball spitting and all that but that is because of a few spots in front of the wicket but it is not really that vicious for the ball to take the edge and go to the slip fielders. If you play with soft hands, it is very difficult to get you out,” he offered.