Virat Kohli Interviews Ashwin RaviChandran,
Local boy Ravichandran Ashwin was invincible during the 2nd Test against England at Chepauk. The 34-year-old was rightly crowned as the ‘Man of the Match’ for his prodigious stint with his ball as well as his bat. R Ashwin grasped a total of 8 wickets and carved a brilliant century to level the series against England. Ashwin’s rendition was so inspirational that it made Indian skipper Virat Kohli turn into an interviewer and interviews Ashwin Ravichandran in a post-match interview.
IND vs ENG: Virat Kohli interviews R Ashwin
Virat Kohli, in a post-match interview, took the job of an interviewer while questioning R Ashwin about his tremendous form and the reason behind it. The explosive all-rounder is in a form of his life since India’s tour of Australia. From getting the better of Steve Smith in a trot to his heroics in Sydney, R Ashwin propelled for the ‘Men in Blue’ with great character.
“I think the whole pandemic thing… During which we shut off and locked ourselves down, I was thinking about what is going to happen. if you take the game away from me, I am literally lost. Even if I am not playing some formats for the country, I am putting the TV on and watching,” he told Kohli during an interview for the BCCI. “And suddenly, I felt like the game was not here, so I was reflecting on things, trying to understand what I can learn from people and what they perceive of me. That perception really made sure I was playing a game that was completely different to who I was,” he added
With his exploits in Australia, R Ashwin changed the perspective of many who coined him as a home ground player. He played a massive role in India’s triumph in the ‘Border Gavaskar’ trophy. The premier spinner carried his form against England as well where he has already clinched 17 wickets in 2 Tests.
“In the past when I was on tours, there was that desperation in trying to prove others wrong. But this time, when I went out there, it was proving to myself what I am capable of,” Ashwin said. “One thing I have noticed from a distance when I see people do well is how balanced they are in terms of not wanting to be desperate. Jinks (Rahane), yourself, when you came back to England, you wanted to do well but really within yourself, within your space, which is something I wanted to embrace.”
IND vs ENG: Virat Kohli’s words for R Ashwin
“I hope you keep continuing to be in this happy space that you are. We are loving to have you in this space and seeing you perform on the field in this way. Two more matches to go, hopefully, you continue to do well and keep putting in strong performances and keep doing well for the team,” Kohli told Ashwin.