‘Have To Resign…’: R Ashwin Raises Concerns Over India’s Batting Inability | Cricket News
Former India off-spinner R Ashwin defended Indian bowling unit following the team’s crushing defeat to England in the first Test at Leeds. The match saw India fail to defend a sizeable 370-run target in the fourth innings, sparking criticism from cricket pundits and fans alike. However, Ashwin believes that much of the blame has been unfairly placed solely on the bowlers.
India became the first team in Test history to lose a match despite having five individual centuries across both innings. Shubman Gill’s 147 was the highest among the hundreds, as India posted 471 and 364 in their two innings, totals that still couldn’t prevent defeat, largely due to lower-order collapses.
“Once 370 was chased down (in the first Test), I thought the commentary became a diss about the Indian bowlers. I felt that the narrative built was pointing towards how Indian bowlers failed to win the match. But with a little homework, many would have realised that in England, scores have been consistently chased down in 4th innings,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
Ashwin, who retired as India’s top wicket-taker in the World Test Championship, pointed out that the focus quickly shifted to the bowlers, even though the batters did not post above-par scores despite batting-friendly conditions.
‘Where Are The Daddy Hundreds?’
Ashwin also criticized India’s batters for not converting their centuries into bigger scores that could have put the game beyond England’s reach.
“Batters should take up responsibility. I know batsmen are making runs. Yes, we had five centurions, but where are the daddy hundreds? We have to resign to the fact that there would be no contribution (with the bat) from the lower order. Our fast bowlers cannot bat, they cannot muster runs,” he added.
Emphasis On Control, Not Just Wickets
He also stressed the importance of building pressure through economy and control, particularly when bowling in England against an aggressive side like the current England team.
“In Tests, I think maidens are quite underrated. Ideally, I would be okay with Bumrah going for a higher economy rate, but others should go low. I saw a show where someone said Siraj was unlucky to not be among wickets. I do agree he bowled well in the second innings, but the economy rate, you can’t let go and hope that things fall in place. In Tests, you have to build your bowling gradually from Day 1, and the rewards will come in the final innings,” Ashwin said.
“If you give away a lot of runs in the first innings, you tend to get conservative to stem the flow, and you won’t get wickets in this approach. If I was Morkel, I would tell the other bowlers not to do much since Bumrah is there. As the old saying goes, bowl three maidens, and you will get a wicket. Don’t you think a wicket would fall after three maidens in a row against this England side? Against this side, if you are giving two runs an over, it is as good as bowling a maiden,” he concluded
