I have played for 13 years and want to continue to deliver - Ravichandran Ashwin

Before Virat Kohli and KL Rahul produced one of the best partnerships in Indian cricket history, it was the Indian bowling that derailed Australia after a decent show from Steve Smith and David Warner. The Australian duo looked in good touch for the second-wicket partnership, before the Indian spinners were quick to get into the act and they razed through the batting line-up that saw Ravindra Jadeja clinching three wickets while Kuldeep Yadav bagged a brace.

To add to the sheen of the Indian spinners, Ravichandran Ashwin was exceptionally economical and at the same time produced the important wicket of Cameron Green, who holed out to Hardik Pandya at point after failing to keep his shot on the ground.

In a chat with the broadcasters after the match, Ashwin opened up on being picked in the side and said, “It was more like a May day call, I was chilling at home, played a couple of club games but Rohit and Rahul [Dravid] had told me that if there is a situation we will come back to you, I just told them jokingly that hope you never come back to me (smiles).”

Speaking on the surface, Ashwin said, “I played a lot of cricket in Chennai. It is quite unlike Chennai pitch, with lots of cracks. You saw how Hazlewood and the Aussies bowled in the 2nd innings. We were actually a little concerned at how it would pan out. The crowd always gets behind us here. Thankfully we lost the toss and Jadeja was on a roll after he got the ball.”

He also talked about his familiarity with the pitch and how one can get the best from it, stating, “It's more than the pace, it's difficult for the bowlers to bowl at a particular speed. It's about getting the sidespin and overspin right, getting my body into position - all of these things. It's about getting that right for me. For me it usually takes about 6-8 balls to get that right.”

Ashwin also pointed out the jitters in the dressing room after India was reduced to 2/3, saying, “When I saw Virat Kohli's ball went up in the air, I ran outside the dressing room. I literally ran outside the dressing room, I was like thinking wake me up when it's all over. It's a World Cup game against Australia so you don't expect anything easy. It's a big game and when you are shot for 199, do you think you expected us to coast home? I ran back into the dressing room and the crowd erupted. I stayed in the same place for the entire game. My legs are paining now actually.”

He concluded by saying, “I need to pick my Whatsapp messages and go on Twitter to find out. But I need to stay out of social media [smiles]. The day I was picked, everyone near my area said you will win us the World Cup. I was like dude... [smiles]. As long as I keep performing for India, I will be happy. I have played for 13 years and want to continue to deliver.”