‘Test well poised, every run is gold dust from here’

from getting excited after having Australia in a spot of bother, India off-spinner R Ashwin said Friday the first Test is “extremely well poised” and every run in the remaining days will be worth its weight in gold.

“I thought we really bottled them up, soaked them up and put on pressure from both ends,” said Ashwin, the most successful visiting bowler with figures of 3/50.

“We don’t isolate it as a fast bowling or spin bowling pack. We identify it as a bowling unit together because one cannot exist without the other. It was another perfect attrition day for us,” he said at the post-match press conference.

“I bowled an extended 22-over spell even before and after tea to make sure that we do not give away more runs. I see it as neckand-neck in the game. Whoever can get momentum from hereon has the edge in this Test. I think it is extremely well poised. Every run is going to be gold dust from here.”

About the pitch condition, he said, “I thought there was a bit more stickiness on Thursday and the speed has definitely come down. When we were batting I don’t think it was as slow as it was today. I think the wicket has slowed down considerably and I don’t expect it to quicken up more either. I think it’s going to slow down more.”

Ashwin refrained from predicting if the pitch will deteriorate more. “I don’t know what’s going to happen because it is a drop-in wicket. Because of the amount of grass I don’t see the footmarks widening as much as they did the last time (in 2014). If anything has to be done, you have to do it on the fourth or fifth day. We need to see how much it grips.”

Ashwin felt that the drift he was able to get did the trick for

I think the wicket has slowed down considerably and I don’t expect it to quicken up more either. I think it’s going to slow down more. On nature of Adelaide pitch

We don’t isolate it as a fast bowling or spin bowling pack. We identify it as a bowling unit together because one cannot exist without the other. On bowling in partnerships

him.

“There is not a lot happening off the straight or fizzing through (off the pitch), nothing like that. I was getting drift both ways, in and out, and I was able to control both that drift and get the batsmen holding their feet inside as well as outside the stump and hence hold them.

“That’s how we got Usman Khawaja out and Shaun Marsh out as well. That’s something that worked in my favour because of the drift, the ball going away and coming back in. It happens in Melbourne too. So I am backing on that to give me some really good results,” he said.

Asked about bowling to the Australian left-handers, in particular Shaun Marsh, whom he has dismissed five times now, Ashwin said, “There is a certain pattern that we saw through his videos before we got into the game. It was a sort of initial set-up that we wanted to do. Today the plan worked and not in the fashion that he dragged it on.”