Told Kumble we needed to be patient in Bengaluru Test, recalls Ashwin
Ravi Ashwin has revealed that he had told the then Indian coach Anil Kumble that the team needed to be patient if they needed to win the Bengaluru Test against Australia. He also revealed that sledging the Australian opener Matt Renshaw by asking him to not defend ended up helping India.
In 2017, the travelling Australian side under the captaincy of Steve Smith gave India a real threat to the side’s home dominance. However, their campaign of getting past India fell flat in the Bengaluru Test after which India took over the seat of ascendence.
Crucial to India’s victory, off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin recalled that he told former coach Anil Kumble that the team needed to be a bit patient if they needed to get back into the Test. His words came after the number of suggestions that were being discussed in the dressing room.
“Anil bhai (Kumble) gave me quite a few suggestions. But I told him that we need to be patient as nothing is happening. Anil bhai said ‘yes, yes. I am not putting pressure on you but you have to do it,’ " Ashwin said, reported Hindustan Times.
“I remember one very, very crucial incident in the 1st innings. Nathan Lyon got 8 wickets in the 1st innings. Nathan Lyon was running riot but by the end of the 1st day, it stopped turning. It was damp,” Ashwin added.
The Tamil Nadu spinner also added that he tried to get into the mind of the Australian opener Matt Renshaw during the Test by asking him to make runs. His sledge came after the left-handed batsman had given the off-spinner a smirky smile earlier in the proceedings when the ball did not reach the short-leg fielder.
“Next day when I was bowling, I started bowling over the stumps to Warner and Renshaw. I remember bowling to Renshaw, a couple of balls went here and there.. to short leg and he had this smirky smile so as to suggest they were on top of the game," Ashwin recalled.
However, in the end, Renshaw’s actions and Ashwin’s words combined to haunt the Australian team. In the second innings, the offie picked up six wickets to help India make their claims on the series.
“All of a sudden, I got really angry because I was not getting the wickets and I told him ‘you better not defend and make these runs because if you don’t, 4th innings you guys won’t make 100 runs’. I was angry and said it but it eventually panned out.”
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