Former Indian batter Sanjay Manjrekar showered praise on Ravichandran Ashwin after India’s comprehensive 280-run win against Bangladesh in the opening Test match at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai on Sunday.
Ashwin came up with an all-round performance and delivered while playing at his home ground. The all-rounder, who turned 38 on 17th September, scored a brilliant knock of 113 runs in the first innings and added 199 runs with Ravindra Jadeja.
India was in a spot of bother at 144-6 but Ashwin and Jadeja were able to rescue the team out of the troubled waters. This was the sixth Test century for Ashwin and he also returned with impressive figures of 6-88, which was his 37th five-wicket haul in the red-ball format.
Thus, he was awarded Player of the Match for his exemplary performance with both bat and ball.
Sanjay Manjrekar said on ESPN Cricinfo, “I watch the match and accordingly I assume the age of a player, with the way they run and play. MS Dhoni, in his prime, when he was no longer a youngster, he was the fastest in running between the wickets. In the same way, when I watch Ashwin bowl and the way he bats, age is just a number. The age factor does not come to mind when looking at his performances.”
Manjrekar reckons Ashwin could take a leaf out of James Anderson’s book on how to manage his workload at the fag end of his career.
“Just like how James Anderson’s career progressed by taking rest consistently, Ashwin’s career should also progress in the same way. As long as he keeps performing like this, he will always get motivation. I find it amazing that his bowling has never lost touch and he has batter with the same enthusiasm. When you have such a mind, the body has to follow it.”
On the other hand, Ashwin said batting comes naturally to him and he tries to get the best out of himself when he gets his chance with the bat.
“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.
