R Ashwin opens up about his historic partnership with Hanuma Vihari in Sydney Test against Australia

By Tushar Mamgain
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 2 : Indian all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin, who combated time, opponents and injury to script the most remarkable escapes for India on the Day 5 of the third Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), said solid communication between him and Hanuma Vihari helped Indian team to draw the match against Australia.
The Border-Gavaskar 2020-21 Trophy in Australia was a historic one for India. During the series, the Indian side registered their lowest test score ever in the first Test at Adelaide as they were bundled out for just 36. As the series went on, the team also faced injuries which led to the absence of experienced, big-time players.
Despite facing many injuries in the team, Men in Blue still outclassed the Australian team and clinched the series by 2-1.
A hamstring injury notwithstanding, Vihari hit an unbeaten 161-ball 23 while Ashwin hit 39 off 128 balls as the two defended away any hopes Australia had of registering a win. The duo formed a vigilant 62-run stand to lead India's match-saving efforts.
"We both got comfortable the instant we went in. We realised what problem we had, he could not come forward and be going on the backfoot. He was struggling from the hamstring injury. When I went to the crease I could not go forward against the fast bowlers. So in that situation, I said we will rotate and see how this will work," Ashwin told ANI.
"After sometimes he was facing the fast bowlers and I was facing the spinners. And with that, we batted for a couple of overs. There was solid communication between him and me we were helping each other out," he added.
Ashwin, who was present during the trailer launch of the Voot Select's web series 'Bandon Mein Tha Dum' that showcases the journey of the 2020/21 India's tour of Australia also revealed how Indian spinners played a crucial role in the 2-1 series win.
"Spinner's role in the whole series was really critical. I was bowling my best. I thought I will take the most wickets in the series but Siraj overtook me which I'm really glad for. But it was easily one of the best series which I really enjoyed. I deeply missed playing the last Test and wanted to play so badly. In this series, I found myself in a really good place."
Ashwin was forced to miss the Gabba Test after suffering a back injury in the third Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Despite the injury, Ashwin had played a heroic inning with the bat to save the game for India. He was India's second-highest wicket-taker in the series with 12 wickets in three games.
"It was surprising to me that I went bowling after the injury with painkillers. And bowled 13 or 14 over on the trot. It was so bad i was rolling on the floor because of the pain. My wife and kids helped me to stand and then the Physio came to check me. I went to the game crawling, but did my best," he said.
All-rounder also praised star pacer of the Australian cricket team Pat Cummins, who sent many major Indian players back into the hut in the series.
"Pat Cummins looked like a really special bowler. And he was bowling at the top of his game. And was quite hard to bat against him. Mitchell Starc is quick but Pat seems he is 5 km quicker than him. These are the feeling... you know cannot be truly explained," he said.
Team India defeated Australia at Gabba and Brisbane to clinch the Border-Gavaskar Trophy by 2-1.