Injuries are frustrating but you have to put it behind: Ravichandran Ashwin

Veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin had a good start to both the Test series in England and Australia last year but could not carry on with the tempo. He failed to play either of the two series completely because of injury midway into the series and now the 32-year-old is showing resolve to get back on track.

In England, Ashwin picked seven wickets in the first Test in Birmingham but an injury during the third Test in Nottingham saw him under-bowling and the decision to persist with him in the fourth Test in Southampton despite the injury backfired as India lost the match and the series. In Australia, too, Ashwin picked six wickets in the first Test in Adelaide but an abdominal injury forced him out of the next three matches.

Although India had a better result Down Under, Ashwin remained a non-finisher after getting a good start. Ashwin has shown a good recovery since the abrupt end to the historic Australia series that India won. He has even been batting well which became evident in the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association first-division league where he picked up a half-century for MRC ‘A’ on Saturday.

“I’m almost back to 100 per cent. I’ve bowled close to 40 overs in the last game but I would like to keep going through the journey,” Ashwin was later quoted as saying by Sportstar.

“I’ve always loved playing matches together. It’s quite unfortunate that when I was bowling really well overseas, I had to encounter injuries back to back. It’s frustrating but you have to put it behind and keep moving,” he added.

Ashwin is fourth highest wicket-taker for India in Tests

The off-spinner who is a regular in Tests has played 65 matches to pick 342 wickets at an average of 25.43. He is the fourth highest wicket-taker for India in the long format after Anil Kumble (619), Kapil Dev (434) and Harbhajan Singh (417).

Looking back at the Australia series that India won 2-1, Ashwin said after India won a close first match in Adelaide, the hosts won in Perth but the visitors did well to win back-to-back games in Melbourne and Sydney.

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