NEWS
Follow UsA fortnight ago in Pune, one of the most dominant streaks this century - across sports - came to an end as New Zealand became the first team to win a Test series in India in 12 years.
However, the Kiwis didn’t just stop there as, after the famous series win, they went on to whitewash the hosts in the following Test in Mumbai to become the first team in history to whitewash India in their own backyard in a three-match bilateral Test series.
It’s a result that’s sent shockwaves across the cricket world. Nobody thought a superteam as powerful as India would slip to a series defeat at home, let alone get whitewashed.
Ravichandran Ashwin, one of the architects of the 12-year unbeaten streak, opened up on the loss for the first time.
"It was one of the most shattering experiences of my career, that's the right word. I didn't know how to respond or react for a couple of days,” Ashwin said, speaking on his YouTube channel.
Result aside, it was a series to forget from a personal perspective for Ashwin, who uncharacteristically made no impact with the ball in hand. Ashwin finished the series with a bowling average of 41.22, his worst in a series at home in 12 years. He managed just 9 wickets in the six innings he bowled despite the last two games of the series being played on raging turners.
However, reflecting back on the series, Ashwin claimed that his biggest regret was not being able to contribute with the bat. With the bat in hand, the 38-year-old averaged just 8.50, his lowest in a 3+ Test series at home. In six innings, Ashwin failed to cross 20 even once.
"My biggest regret [in the series] was that I was unable to contribute lower-order runs,” Ashwin said.
“As a bowler, I know that runs are vital currency. At several stages, I started off well but then I threw it away on a couple of occasions.
"I kept asking myself why I wasn't able to contribute with the bat. I was thinking where I went wrong. Every time I tried to take the initiative with the bat, I lost my wicket at the wrong time."
Speaking further, the veteran also asserted that the bowlers were affected by the fact that they got little to rest between innings due to the side folding quickly with the bat. While India lasted 59.4 overs with the bat in the first innings in Wankhede, they batted out just 45.3 overs in the first innings of the Pune Test. In both games, New Zealand won the toss and opted to bat.
"One of the most difficult aspects for a bowler is bowling for an entire day and then coming back and bowling again without any rest. It becomes doubly difficult. Even Rahul [Dravid] bhai used to say, 'give a night's sleep to the bowler and see the difference.' So this is a very important aspect,” Ashwin said.
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