2012 series against England was turning point of my career: Ashwin
The Hindu
Ravichandran Ashwin reflects on his journey to 100 Tests, learning from past failures, and cherishing key performances.
On the cusp of completing 100 Tests, India's premier off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin on March 5 said he would not have become the bowler that he is now without the learnings from an underwhelming home series against England in 2012, at the end of which he was a "bit nervy".
That series loss remains India's last defeat at home and Ashwin's performance in the four-match rubber left a lot to be desired as the likes of Alastair Cook and Kevin Pietersen played him with ease.
Twelve years later, Ashwin looked back at the turning point of his remarkable career, which now features 507 Test wickets.
"It is a pretty big occasion. More than the destination, the journey has been very special. It is a journey of ups and downs and a lot of learnings," said Ashwin, who will become only the 14th Indian to reach the 100-Test milestone when the final Test begins here on Thursday.
"One of the turning points of my life was the England series when Cook came here and made all those runs. It has been talked about a lot but to me that and what led to the next home series against Australia (changed a lot for me).
"There was lot of noise about me being left out of the team, one of the selectors had a chat with me. At that time I was a bit nervy though I don't know where it came from as I had done well previously," he recalled.
The criticism of his performance — 14 wickets at an average of 52.64 in four Tests — is still fresh in his mind but more importantly, he hasn't forgotten the lessons.
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