In the series opener against the West Indies, Ashwin, who currently holds the top ranking among bowlers worldwide, delivered an outstanding performance by securing his finest overseas Test figures of 12 for 131 (5/60 and 7/71).
His exceptional display dismantled a helpless West Indies side and propelled India to a resounding victory by a remarkable innings-and-141-run margin inside three days in Dominica.”It was important to score a big first-innings score, which we did and it provided a base to the bowlers. The way Ashwin and (Ravindra) Jadeja bowled is praiseworthy.
“We. in the dressing room. know the value of a bowler’s performance. According to me, Ashwin is one of the greatest match-winners of our country. He has won a lot of matches for us and has been a consistent performer.”
While Ashwin stole the show in the bowling department, it was the young left-handed opener Jaiswal who garnered all the attention among the batsmen with his composed innings of 171 during his debut Test match.
“The way he (Jaiswal) batted was fabulous and especially for a debutant to come and score a century and that too on not an easy wicket. It was a slow wicket, got slower as the game progressed, stroke-making wasn’t easy,” Mhambrey said praising the 21-year-old.
“If you look at the way he bats, he likes to take on the game but the way he applied himself on this wicket was very good to see.
“That’s what you need at the international level, adapt yourself to different conditions, situations and that’s what the team expected and he did the role. It’s definitely very heartening, positive. The performance will give him lot of confidence going ahead.”
Mhambrey is happy that the series began on a perfect note for India, and now the team aims to sustain the momentum as they head into the second Test in Port of Spain, commencing on July 20th.
“Ideal start for a Test match, that’s what you expect, that’s how you want to carry the performance from the last series. Honestly, if you ask me, we didn’t expect that to be so easy.”
In terms of talent, the current West Indies team is far behind the Rohit Sharma-led side, as made evident by their complete capitulation in the series opener.
However, Mhambrey emphasized that India should not underestimate the West Indies team, as they cannot afford to take any Test match lightly.
“These are outside noises. There is nothing as such in the dressing room. We came here to play international cricket, Test cricket, which is the highest level of cricket. There is no big motivation than this for a player,” he said.
“Our plans were set. We knew our approach and we are going to give the same application throughout the series. What people think outside doesn’t matter, what matters is our thought process and execution.”
(AI image)