India Can Win In England If Other Batsmen Make Runs Around Virat Kohli: Ravichandran Ashwin

Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has opened up about their chances in the upcoming England tour. After the ICC World Test Championship final against New Zealand on the 18th of June, Virat Kohli’s men will stay back for the five-match Test series in August. Ravichandran Ashwin feels that the tourists could win if other batsmen chip around Virat Kohli.

India suffered a 4-1 series loss in England in 2018 as Virat Kohli remained the lone warrior amongst the batsmen in almost all the Tests. The 32-year old made 593 runs in five Tests, with the rest of the batsmen making a very little contribution. Aside from that, the Indian bowlers’ inability to get rid of the lower order also contributed significantly to their loss.

Ravichandran Ashwin remains aware of how good England can be in their backyard, underlining that James Anderson will cause problems for them. The 34-year old feels that understanding the conditions are crucial in England and believes that their experience should hold them in good stead. Furthermore, Ashwin thinks that the other batsmen batting well around Virat Kohli will give them a good chance to win.

“England play good cricket on their pitches and they have shown how good they are in their conditions. James Anderson will make it as difficult as it can be for us. The conditions are key in England, but the experience that this Indian team has should hold us in good stead. If other players chip in and make runs with Virat Kohli around, we stand a good chance to win,” Ashwin said as quoted by India Today.

The idea of bowling to good players is to enjoy the challenge: Ravichandran Ashwin

Ravichandran Ashwin asserted that his expertise lies in bowling well to both left-handers and right-handers. The Tamil Nadu off-spinner enjoys bowling to good batsmen and believes in preparing himself thoroughly for any player between 1 to 11.

“Out of the 400-odd wickets, I have performed equally well against right-handers and taken almost an equal number of wickets. The idea of bowling to good players is to enjoy the challenge. I believe in being thoroughly prepared for anybody from No. 1 to No. 11,” he added.

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