Ashwin believes India can pull off a comeback win

Off-spinner R. Ashwin who inspired India’s fightback on day four of the opening Test against England believes the hosts can pull off a comeback victory.

“If we can have a good fifth day, we will be quite happy to win this Test match. I thought we fought back really well through the course of last two days. Personally when I saw the wicket, I believed it will be a good one to bat but I thought it might go a little more than what happened on the first day. It was really flat and it was like a crucial toss for us, I would say,” said Ashwin, who removed England opener Rory Burns off the first ball of the second innings.

Ashwin, who bowled his heart out for his three-wicket haul in the first and added six in the second, said he enjoyed his outing. “I see quite a few interesting observations on what people think might happen or not but as a cricketer that’s the last thing that you have on your mind,” he said.

England skipper Joe Root who swept his way to double hundred was cautious against Ashwin in the first innings.

The Tamil Nadu spinner said he had plans against Root. “In the first innings, the number of sweeps he played off me was very minimal. He was very careful in how he was going to sweep, because we had plans in place and we had lines in place. When good players play, you can make your plan, sometimes it work, sometimes it doesn’t,” Ashwin added.

Iwas judged when I was directly selected into the President’s X1 Team against West Indies in 1978. But I scored a century! People need to know that I got my break because of M.L. Jaisimha and not because of my uncle Pataudi (Mansoor Ali Khan). Jaisimha believed in me and not Pataudi who, in fact, never wanted me to play cricket. So sometimes you get opportunities because of your potential. If the selectors see talent in a player, we shouldn’t ask whose son he is. Arjun should be judged only by his performance; Let him play.

— former cricketer