Chennai, Sep 19 (UNI) All rounder Ravichandran Ashwin, who scored his sixth century, to bail India out after a top order and a middle order wobble, said it was feeling special to score a hundred in front of the home crowd.
Ashwin scored an unbeaten 102 off 112 balls with ten fours and two sixers and shared an unbroken 195 run stand in 37.1 overs with another all rounder left hander Ravindra Jadeja (86 not out, 117 balls, 10×4, 2×6) as India reached a strong 339 for six at close on the opening day of the first test against Bangladesh at Chepauk stadium.
India were at one stage tottering at 34 for three in the 10th over and then at 144 for six in the 42nd over, when Ashwin and Jadeja bailed out the team, feasting on Bangladeshi bowlers, scoring at more than five runs an over in the final session.
Talking to Ravi Shastri after the opening day’s match, Ashwin said it’s always special to play in front of home crowd and get a hundred.
“It’s a ground I completely love. Last time I got a hundred here, you (Ravi Shastri) were the coach.”
“It does feel special”, he said.
He said coming off a T20 tournament, he worked quite a bit on batting and playing shots.
“I’ve always been giving the ball a waft. On a surface like this, it’s better to go hard like Rishabh (Pant) does”, Ashwin said.
“It’s an old-school Chennai surface with bounce and carry. When there is width, you can give it a tonk. Love playing when there is bounce and carry, enjoyed myself today”, he said.
Heaping praise on Jadeja, he said he was of real help. “There was a point where I was sweating and tiring but Jaddu helped me through the phase. He’s been solid and one of our best batters.”
“He (Jaddu) told me we don’t have to convert twos into threes, which was useful for me”, Ashwin said.
He said overspin will fetch more bounce and spinners will come into play later in this wicket which had bounce, carry and seam movement on the opening day that was exploited by Bangladesh seamer Hasan Mahmud, who wrecked the top order bagging three quick wickets within the first ten overs in the morning session and ended the day with four wickets.
There is enough for the quicks as of now. The new ball will do a bit tomorrow. “We’ll have to start afresh…. It is still damp underneath, as it dries out hope it quickens up”, Ashwin, who became one the five players with a double–multiple hundreds and multiple five-fors at a venue in Tests (at Chepauk)–said.
