Ravichandran Ashwin has revealed that ace batsman Virat Kohli practiced with the Indian squad ahead of the Test series opener against England in Hyderabad, which begins on January 25.
Ashwin indicated that Kohli was initially part of the team for the series of five games. However, before the first match, he had to pull out because of personal matters. In his most recent YouTube video, Ashwin states:
“It was an open-net practice, and Virat Kohli was also there with us in practice. He left for personal reasons, as his family needed him, and suddenly we were left without Virat Kohli.”
Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravichandran Ashwin also admitted to hurting his back while bowling the day before the Hyderabad Test. He acknowledged that he was unhappy and anxious since he was about to complete 100 Tests and take his 500th wicket in the format.
The veteran off-spinner praised India’s support crew for caring after him and making sure he didn’t miss the match owing to his back strain. Ashwin added:
“Suddenly, on the day before the Test in practice, it felt like a ball hit my back on completing an action. My back strain on my mid-back was very bad. I had so many things to expect from this series. There are so many milestones awaiting. I haven’t thought about it much, but everybody in my surroundings was talking about 500 wickets and 100 tests.”
“I just put the ball away and rested myself. That is why I put up an appreciation post for Kamlesh Jail, our physio, and Yogesh Parmar, A photo with him is still on the hunt; I couldn’t get it within yesterday. Along with Rajiv, our massage therapist, and Dayanand, another massage therapist, these people put so much effort behind the doors for my health.”
Ravichandran Ashwin
India experienced a 28-run loss in the initial game in Hyderabad. Nonetheless, there was an impressive rebound as the home team won four consecutive games to clinch the series at 4-1.
“Almost an away match for half of our own team” – Ravichandran Ashwin on playing in Hyderabad
Ravichandran Ashwin also mentioned that the Hyderabad Test match felt like an away game for the hosting team. This was because many of their players had never played a Test at this location earlier.
He believes that countries such cricket England suffer less challenges in home series since they have fewer Test sites than India. Ashwin explains:
“The people on our own test team haven’t played a Test in Hyderabad. I don’t know if Rohit was part of the team when we played our previous matches in Hyderabad. So think about it: do you think there’s a chance for any of the English cricketers to have not played first-class cricket in their Test venues? It is impossible because there are only 7-8 Test venues in the country.”
“India has so many Test venues in itself. So, this is almost an away match for half of our own team. When the foreign media talk about it, I really don’t know if they understand the magnitude of Indian cricket.”
Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravichandran Ashwin was the most effective bowler in the five-match Test series against England, finishing with the most wickets. Over the course of ten innings, the cunning spinner took 26 wickets.