Ravichandran Ashwin credited Rishabh Pant as his inspiration for his aggressive unbeaten 102 against Bangladesh in the Chennai Test on September 19. This innings, his second century at home, featured 10 fours and two sixes at a strike rate of 91.07.
Ashwin came to the crease when India was in trouble at 144/6 in the first innings. He initiated a decisive counter-attack, later joined by Ravindra Jadeja, which neutralized Bangladesh’s effective pace attack. Ashwin excelled particularly square of the wicket, showcasing his skill on home soil.
“Always a special feeling to play in front of this crowd,” Ashwin told Ravi Shastri from the broadcasters’ team after the end of the day’s play.
“I have a lot of happy memories of playing here. When I got a last hundred here, you were the coach Ravi Bhai. I came here at the back of a T20 tournament (the Tamil Nadu Premier League, TNPL) and it helps a bit. I worked a lot on my batting and was happy it came off. Whenever the ball is there to be hit. I wanted to go hard as Rishabh does.”
Ashwin was in exceptional batting form during the TNPL, guiding his team, the Dindigul Dragons, to the title with consecutive half-centuries.
“Among the top players in the format”- Ashwin on Jadeja
Ashwin also expressed gratitude to Jadeja, who scored 86* off 117 balls, for alleviating the pressure with both his batting and understanding support.
“He is a real help,” Ashwin said. “There was a time when I was sweating and struggling to go. He noticed that and carried me through. He is one of the best players in this format over the years and he sensed what the wicket was doing and played solid. He was telling me we don’t have to convert the twos to threes, it was really helpful for me.”
When asked about the pitch, he described it as a typical red-soil Chennai surface that offers bounce for spinners, which benefits his batting. He anticipated that the pacers would excel with the new ball again on Day 2, while spinners would become more influential as the game progressed.
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