Ravichandran Ashwin, Childhood Incident, Kidnapping
Ravichandran Ashwin (Credits: BCCI)

Indian premier off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin recently narrated an incident wherein he shed light on what happened between him and Matt Renshaw in the 2nd and penultimate Test of the three-match series against Australia at Bengaluru. Australia toured India for a three-match Test series in 2017 and were 1-0 up in the series going into the second Test.

Australian spinner Nathan Lyon ran riot in the first innings of the Bengaluru Test by picking up India’s eight wickets. Indian bowlers had to pick initial wickets to put the pressure back on the Aussies. However, Matt Renshaw played with a defiant approach, which frustrated the Indian bowlers. There stepped Ravichandran Ashwin and had some verbal altercation with the batsman to get under his skin.

Matt Renshaw, Pakistan vs Australia 2018
Getty Images

In an Instagram live with Cheteshwar Pujara, Ravichandran Ashwin has shed light on the incident and explained as to what happened on the pitch.

Ravichandran Ashwin Reveals Why He Sledged Matt Renshaw In The 2017 Bengaluru Test

“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 said.

Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravichandran Ashwin. Credit: BCCI

“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’,” added Ashwin.

Matt Renshaw Made Me Really Angry With His Smile: Ravichandran Ashwin

“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,” Ravichandran Ashwin further said.

“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,” he added.

Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravichandran Ashwin celebrates his wicket. Credits: BCCI Twitter

Team India eventually went on to win the game in what proved to be one of the most exciting contests in Test cricket ever. Ravichandran Ashwin scalped 6 Australian wickets in the fourth innings as India went on to win the Test match and gradually the series.

Read More  Rishabh Pant blames this player after Delhi Capitals' loss vs Rajasthan Royals

Also Read: Ross Taylor Bags Sir Richard Hadlee Medal For The Third Time

Priyam Singh is the Head of Content and Operations at Cricketaddictor. He Has Been Associated With Cricketaddictor Since The Last 4 Years And His Role Revolves Around Generation And Implementation Of Content...