The Australian batters were largely troubled by the Indian off-spin duo – R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja – in the first Test in Nagpur. The duo bagged 15 wickets in the series opener, including a five-wicket haul from each in an inning. Ahead of the first Test, Australian media targeted the Nagpur pitch by calling it a massive turner, however, a poor batting display from the Australian batter forced them to question their expertise.
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Meanwhile, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma has also joined the bandwagon as he took a sly dig at the whole debate around the pitch and surface of the stadium with an important suggestion.
“It was an old-school cricket. You got to come and press forward, trust your defence and don't worry much about how the pitch is going to react but just trust yourself. That pitch subject should not be a centre of discussion,” said Rohit Sharma, while having an interaction with R Ashwin for BCCI.tv.
Meanwhile, the Indian skipper also admitted that he felt pleased when he got to know that he has joined Tilakratne Dilshan, Faf du Plessis and Babar Azam among the cricketers with centuries as a captain across formats.
“It's always good to have these achievements,” added Rohit. The Indian skipper also lauded all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja for his incredible all-round performance in the 1st Test. “We all know Jadeja is a superstar. How do you feel about Jadeja’s batting abilities,” asked R Ashwin. In response, Indian skipper said that it's very pleasing and a delight to have such a player in the team.
“I always had trust on his bowling abilities. But it's really great to see how he has evolved as a batter over the time. He is coming after five months of break and to deliver such a performance straight away, is a massive feat in itself. He is a great asset to our team,” Rohit said. In the end, R Ashwin was congratulated by the Indian skipper for achieving the feat of 450 Test wickets.
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“Its coming out nicely. I am lot at ease with my game. I really enjoyed playing under you Rohit, and looking forward to more such feats,” concluded Ashwin.