It was an opportunity to fight and dig in deep – Ravichandran Ashwin after match-winning performance against Bangladesh

India’s all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin was delighted after their thumping win of 280 runs against Bangladesh in the opening Test at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai on Sunday. Ashwin had joined forces with Ravindra Jadeja at 144-6 in the first innings when the hosts had their backs against the wall.

However, Ashwin said it was an opportunity to put on a fight and dig in deep to get his team out of the troubled waters. The right-hander scored a majestic knock of 113 runs, which was his sixth Test century. The flamboyant batter added 199 runs with Jadeja to help India post a competitive score of 376 runs on the board.

Furthermore, after India gave a daunting target of 515 runs to Bangladesh, Ashwin was at his best with the ball in his home ground. The veteran spinner returned with impressive figures of 6-88, which is 37th five-wicket haul in the red-ball version. With this fifer, Ashwin also equaled Shane Warne’s record.

Ashwin was awarded the Player of the Match for his all-round performance with both and ball as India took a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.

Ashwin said in the post-match presentation, “Every time I play in Chennai in front of this crowd, it’s an amazing feeling for me. I have watched a lot of Test cricket and international cricket sitting in those stands. To play in front of those stands, it’s a beautifully renovated stadium now, that itself is a special feeling for me. I am probably enjoying my game because of what I am doing and not because of what I want to get out of it. It was an opportunity to fight and dig in deep, that’s one of the reasons why we all play the game. I have seen so many of my team-mates do that in the past.”

He added, “I just kept it really simple, have to thank Jadeja for what he did, he just took me through the tough phases of the innings. Quite a special knock on the first day, didn’t sink in until day two. Glad I ended up with a few wickets today as well. I make a living by bowling, so bowling comes first all the time. I think like a bowler mostly but I have made a conscious effort to think like a batter when I walk out with a bat in my hand. Batting is something that comes naturally but yet I have struggled sometimes with my thought getting ahead of myself. I have tried to manage it. Over the last few years, I have managed to compartmentalize both, but it is a work in process.”

The second Test match between India and Bangladesh will be played at Green Park, Kanpur from September 27.