Ravichandran Ashwin reveals how he claimed Bangladesh wickets on pace-friendly red-soil pitch

NEW DELHI: Ravichandran Ashwin demonstrated his continued dominance in Test cricket by securing six wickets in the first Test against Bangladesh on a red-soil pitch. The seasoned spinner enjoyed his stint on the pitch in Chennai, known for its pacer-friendly characteristics due to steep bounce.
Ashwin's exceptional figures of 6 for 88 were instrumental in India's 280-run victory on Sunday.At 38, he has amassed 522 wickets from 101 Tests, underscoring his prowess in varying conditions.
Highlighting his adaptability, Ashwin explained that his success came from leveraging the bounce on the pitch rather than waiting for spin assistance.
"Look, I think this pitch, even if you bowl good balls, you will go for runs. But the bounce is going to be quite daunting. The beauty about red soil is you put revs on it, there is value and there is bounce," PTI quoted Ashwin as saying to reporters in the post-match press meet.
The Chennai-based cricketer expressed his preference for playing on red-soil pitches over black-soil ones.
"You play on some black clay surfaces around the country, and without naming them, you have to do a lot of hard work, put a lot of revs and see nothing come out of it."
He elaborated on the complexities of different soil types and the experience he has gained from them over the years.
"Sometimes it's better to not put revs on it in certain places. So, to even understand all these, and talk about it is a fair amount of learning for me. It's happened over the years. Like I said, this one's got solid bounce. I will any day play on a surface like this and get hit than play on other surfaces."
Lamenting the prevalence of black-soil pitches in the country, Ashwin noted that red-soil pitches have historically been crucial for Test cricket in India.
"The surfaces react very differently at different times of the year. We've lost a lot of red soil pitches over the years, which was a key component of playing Test cricket in India."
He advocated for preserving pitch variety rather than standardizing them.
"Sometimes around the country, people do make the mistake of terming India as a whole. I actually think India has a lot of foreign soil in its own nature. Sometimes, you go to Eden, it doesn't feel home. Then you go to Dharamshala, all of a sudden, it doesn't feel home."
Addressing misconceptions about Indian pitches, Ashwin emphasized their diverse nature.
"For some wild reason, people don't seem to assimilate this because the nature of soil is different, the weather is different."
He concluded by highlighting the lack of uniformity in India's cricket calendar compared to other countries.
"It's not like Australia where every Boxing Day Test match happens at Melbourne. We don't do that. The Pongal Test doesn't happen in Chennai always."