Enjoyed Smith’s wicket a lot: Ashwin

Yes, given the importance of the wicket at that stage, I enjoyed it a lot. I feel It was a big wicket and I felt very happy, said the off-spinner

Hyderabad: Veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin scalped four wickets to turn in the pink-ball Test in India’s favour and he said he enjoyed the wicket of Steve Smith the most.

Ashwin said Smith’s wicket was crucial at that junction. “Yes, given the importance of the wicket at that stage, I enjoyed it a lot. I feel It was a big wicket and I felt very happy”. He also said he felt like making his debut again playing a Test match after a long gap. “I am so happy to play Test cricket after a long time. I didn’t imagine we would play cricket given the circumstances (Covid situation). I am extremely mad about playing cricket. Just felt amazing to go out there and felt like making my debut again,” added Ashwin.

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When asked about this was his best overseas performance, he said he wants to enjoy the game and not to compare things. “In the last two years, people spoke about me not having a good outing. I had decent outings in the last 18 months. Things can get blown out of proportion at times. I want to enjoy myself and not to think about anything yet. There is another innings to go and a whole series to be played. I just want to enjoy playing.”

On Shane Warne suggesting the use of pink ball in the day Test matches, Ashwin said it is still in the beginning stage and will take some time. “I am not really sure (whether to use pink ball in day Tests). The pink ball that we are using now is different from what it was when it began. So it is still in early stages.”

He also lauded Jasprit Bumrah’s batting abilities and sending him as the nightwatchman was a no brainer, according to him. “He is an extremely competitive cricketer. He takes the battle on. He has been putting a lot of effort on his batting. He looked at home when he was defending in this match as well. It was no brainer. He infused a lot of confidence.”

He also felt they could have scored a few more runs in their first innings but their bowling department compensated with a good show. “Going back to what happened in Adelaide last time, the wicket gets better to bat on with the game. We felt it was a similar pitch. We are definitely a few a few runs short.”

He also said though Marnus Labuschagne looks like his idol Smith, both are different personalities. “When you play idealising someone, you tend to look like him while playing. But both are different players. There will be similarities but as individuals, they are different.”