In the wake of India’s dismal first-Test defeat in Leeds, where England overhauled a record 370 in the fourth innings, Ravichandran Ashwin, the former India off-spinner, has defended the bowlers by retorting at critics who, he believes, went too easy on blaming all the woes of the team on just the bowling unit.
Talking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin expressed that the post-game commentary rapidly turned attention to how the bowlers failed to win the game, while nothing was mentioned regarding the performances of the batsmen, which he feels also contributed equally towards the loss.
“It Became All About the Bowlers”
Once the target of 370 was chased, I could see that everything thereafter was all about how our bowlers lost the game,” said Ashwin. “But if a little context is provided, people would understand that chasing large totals in the fourth innings has been a trend in England recently. So the story should also be balanced.
He recognized the five centuries taken by Indian batsmen in the game but noted that the team continued to suffer from lower-order collapses, which plagued their prospects.
“Yes, our batsmen scored runs. We had five players hitting hundreds but where were the big, match-winning scores? The so-called ‘daddy hundreds’? We cannot look for runs from our tail-enders. Our fast bowlers are not contributing to the bat much, so the top and middle order have to be responsible,” Ashwin further added.
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“Control Matters More Than Just Wickets”
Ashwin also touched on bowling strategy in Tests, stating the emphasis should not be entirely on picking up wickets at all costs, particularly if it is done at the expense of conceding runs.
“In Test cricket, bowling maidens is undervalued,” he said. “I don’t care if Bumrah concedes a few more runs, he’s that type of bowler but the others have to maintain tightends. I heard somebody say Siraj was unlucky not to pick wickets, and yes, he bowled better in the second innings. But when you have high economy, you lose control, and that hurts in the long term.”
Ashwin emphasized that one needs to create pressure consistently from Day 1 and not leave it for the last innings to attempt closing out a match.
“If you’re offering runs cheaply in the first innings, then you’re cornered into going defensive later on, and that’s when wickets are scarce,” he elucidated. “If I were Morkel (India’s bowling coach), I’d instruct the other members of the attack: keep it simple, let Bumrah get on with it. There’s a saying that goes around – bowl three maidens, and you’ll pick up a wicket. In front of this aggressive England team, even going at two an over is like bowling maidens.”
As India hopes to stage a comeback in the second Test, Ashwin’s words must be remembered: that Test wins are all about balance both in batting and bowling and that fair criticism is not one-way traffic.
