Chennai: Having witnessed the suffering of his Indian bowling mates at the hands of AB de Villiers & Co. in the recently concluded ODI series from the sidelines, Team India lead off-spinner R. Ashwin is all set for the Proteas’ challenge in the upcoming four-Test series.
“My health is getting better. I’m close to being fully fit. I’m confident of bowling well in the Tests,” said Ashwin, who missed four ODIs after getting injured in the first. Although he wasn’t named in the squad for the last two ODIs, he was seen bowling without much trouble during the team’s net session on the eve of the fourth ODI at his home turf, Chepauk.
Skipper M.S. Dhoni, opposition captain ABD and many experts felt the absence of Ashwin, who claimed 21 wickets in India’s last Test series in Sri Lanka, had depleted the Indian bowling in the ODI series against SA.
Ashwin, however, had a different take. “This Indian team have no weaknesses as such in any department. If you look at our side, we have just a few players who have played 100-odd games.
“We need to give some cushion and time to this side. The Proteas have players such as ABD and Faf who are probably geniuses. “We knew it was going to be a hard fought series. Had the last over in Kanpur (first ODI) gone our away, the result of the series could have been different,” said the 29-year-old.
Despite the home advantage, an inconsistent Indian team lost both T20 and ODI series. Talking about the much-awaited Tests, Ashwin said: “South Africa are a good side and they have some exceptional players. It will be a tough challenge and a close contest.”
Ashwin felt the size of the boundaries and the IPL has its share of impact on the bowlers. “The boundary size is small and the IPL has helped players get familiar with grounds and conditions. But I can’t comment on whether the size of ground can be or should be increased. “However, the conditions don’t suit the bowlers and it is difficult to grow as a bowler when you are being thrashed day in and out,” Ashwin added.
