Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who returned with his career-best, match-winning haul of 12 for 85 against New Zealand in the first Test match at Rajiv Gandhi Stadium here on Sunday, says he is pleased that happy days are back again not just for him but for the entire Indian team.
“Well, for the whole team it was a tough one year so far. This is the best possible start really. I am really happy,” Ashwin said.
“If you remember the last time New Zealand was here two years ago they did bat well and almost drew the Test series,” he said.
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The star performer from India stressed that he was never the one to get bogged down by a poor run or be happy with good performances. “I prefer to let the ball do the talking, keep working constantly on various aspects of the bowling,” Ashwin said.
“Well, this is a venue where we have not won the Test last time. We came here with a lot of apprehensions. Given this backdrop, it is a good start to the series.Referring to the close-in catching, Ashwin said it was really good. “There were some terrific catches. Especially the one Sehwag took to send back Franklin.”
Ashwin picked the dismissals of Jeetan Patel in the first innings and New Zealand captain Ross Taylor in the second innings as the best of all his victims in the match. “I think even Franklin’s dismissal today was not far behind,” he said.
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Taylor disappointed
Kiwi captain Ross Taylor said he was certainly disappointed with the innings defeat here. “I think both Ashwin and Ojha bowled in the right areas to get the wickets. But, we do need to look forward,” he said.