On Friday, Ravichandran Ashwin declared that he had freed himself from the grip of both internal and external pressure and that all he wanted to do now was play cricket “with a smile on his face.”
With an equally determined Ravindra Jadeja by his side, Ashwin scored a back-on-the-wall hundred on the first day of the opening Test match here against Bangladesh to save India from a dangerous 144 for six.
In contrast to the past, when he reacted to every needle point, the 38-year-old used that innings to emphasize the point that he now only reacts in pressure situations on a cricket field.
“Yes, I do like and welcome pressure. It is beyond a doubt. It does provide you with the chance to be cornered and then attempt to react. However, I was also critical of him and others previously because I felt a lot of pressure from others. I’ve placed demands on myself,” Ashwin said to the media on Friday.
“I’ve always reacted to pressure by answering questions, performing, or giving a news conference. However, it is no longer the case. I want to play cricket while grinning. I’ve been keeping my word to myself for the past four or five years to not reply to anyone,” he continued.
Ashwin’s ability to mentally separate himself from the people and surroundings around him has made it easier for him to distinguish between his two main sports, bowling and batting.
“In the same game, bowling and batting are two completely different sports. One is carried out deliberately, while the other is carried out unconsciously.
“For me to compartmentalise both has taken its own due and at this stage, I’m able to sequence that and split both of them,” he said.
In other words, how did he maintain concentration on the bat for his 189-ball, three-session innings?
Ashwin went in exactly the opposite direction than a bowler would have.
“Being a bowler who plays on 12–18 balls or 24 balls ahead when I’m sequencing it, the mind can play tricks.” However, I shouldn’t do it as a batter. I just focused on the ball and hit it as I saw it, using my experience as a guide,” he said.
The Chennai player added that he has improved his batting over the past three years to add more depth and increase his versatility as a member of a squad.
“Well, I’ve put in a lot of work (on his batting)… a good deal of advice on how to improve my game, shots, quick bowling technique, and other factors. I’m happy that it’s turning out well. I am generally satisfied with the situation.”
He is now in a happy place as a result of his efforts, both personally and professionally, and he much appreciates that in the fiercely competitive world of modern sport.
“You feel happy about it, having been in a contest and coming out successful out of the contest. So, yeah, the underlying truth is that it gives me a lot of happiness competing in this game.
“This is just a vehicle for me to compete and feel good about myself and be happy at the end of the day,” he elaborated.
