Clinical approach need of the hour: Ashwin

Fast bowlers have set the tone, says India’s ace spinner

India needs to be absolutely clinical against Zimbabwe in the World Cup match at the MCG on Sunday, says R. Ashwin.

Speaking to the media here on Saturday, the off-spinner said: “We need to be clinical. No team is a pushover. Like in every other contest in this T20 World Cup, it’s a must-win encounter. Zimbabwe has played some wonderful cricket, so we can’t go in there and expect them to crumble.”

Having essayed a few pulls at the death against Bangladesh, Ashwin said it was linked to the bounce on offer: “Because of the bounce and boundary sizes, people have tended to go with a lot of short balls. You have to be practising and giving your instinct the best chance to hit that ball.”

Ashwin mentioned that adaptability is the key: “One of the greatest features of T20 cricket is how you adapt to a particular situation. The fast bowlers have set the tone and as a spinner coming in the back-half, doing the job is a role that we have to adapt to.”

He also spoke about the cold weather perhaps affecting fielding: “There could be something to do with the conditions or the climate or the lack of reference point when the high catches are coming.”

Earlier, Zimbabwe skipper Craig Ervine stressed that his unit would draw strength from the triumph over Pakistan.

“Obviously the win against Pakistan has given us a huge amount of belief that we can beat any side in the tournament. This (Sunday’s game) is a great opportunity to bowl against some of the best guys in the world. How often do you get the opportunity to put Virat Kohli in your pocket? I am pretty sure that our fast bowlers will be raring to go,” Ervine said.