India vs Australia: Small changes helping Ravichandran Ashwin log big results | Cricket News – Times of India

AHMEDABAD: With another five-for in the series (6-91), Ravichandran Ashwin has emerged as the top wicket-taker in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The wily off spinner took his series tally to 24 on Day 2 of the fourth and final Test.
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It was a special performance for Ashwin as it came on a docile pitch. He had picked the wicket of opener Travis Head on Day One and picked the other scalps after conceding just 34 runs on Friday.
The 36-year-old played down his feat after the day’s play.

“No one spell is better than the other and I felt at various stages in this particular series, be it in Delhi, the numbers
probably don’t give you a five or six, but the ball is coming out beautifully in the whole series and whatever changes I have put in — loading, cocking my wrists, all those things have proved that my spells have been a lot more penetrative. However, the small changes that I have made have ensured that I have got enough purchase off the pitches, and it’s done more in the air than what it did in Bangladesh,” he said.
Being the second-highest wicket-taker for India (472 Test wickets), Ashwin said that his game is not only about numbers.

“You can go to bed feeling a lot better instead of having just three wickets in your kitty. It does feel good as you end up with a good bag of wickets, even if you don’t bowl sometimes, you feel good about it. I will go to bed tonight a bit early and a bit happier,” he said.
On the state of the Test, Ashwin said that India’s fate depends on how the batters bat on Day 3.

“This is a game of second innings, but we have to bat well and probably see some of our top-order batters get a big score and have some chai and come out batting day after tomorrow. I will be cheering our batters from the bottom of my heart after a day like this as a bowler,” he said.
Ashwin was effusive in his praise of Australian allrounder Cameron Green, who scored his maiden hundred on Friday.

“I hope you tuned into the IPL auction. It just tells you how the Indian cricketing fraternity rates Cameron. These are once-in-a-generation cricketers that you’re talking about,” the off-spinner said.
“India is very different. We can’t protect such players for a longer period, (it’s) perform-or-perish. In countries like Australia and England, I think these sorts of cricketers are groomed well and I expect Cameron Green to be a wonderful cricketer down the line,” he added.

(AI image)