Mumbai, Nov 25: As he drove and cut to register a chanceless maiden hundred, Ravichandran Ashwin did not only reveal another side of himself as a cricketer but also lifted the gloom that had befallen Wankhede Stadium after Sachin Tendulkar’s inopportune dismissal. The leading wicket-taker for the hosts with a second five-for in three Tests, he was the top-scorer for the team with 103 runs and instrumental in staving off the follow-on.

In an exclusive interview with bcci.tv, the eloquent off-spinner spoke about his passion for batting and his desire to push the limits of his game.

Excerpts:

On claiming a five-for and hitting a century in the same Test match

Feels good to get a five-for and a hundred [but it] probably will feel even better if I get a ten-for and a hundred; but yes, that’s pushing the limits. I think this is the time to keep pushing the limits. When you are doing well it’s the time to keep on pushing yourself to reach one more height rather than just sitting down and being happy with whatever you have.

On what was going through his mind on 99 when his partner Ojha played a maiden over in which he was yorked

People ask me if I was tense or nervous or anything [but] I wasn’t nervous at all. I had done all the hard work to get to 99 and yes, I know that the triple-digit mark makes a difference but that’s not going to take anything away from whatever I played. There are a few things that I have to work at, there are a few facets that I want to work on, and get even better. I don’t want [this] to be a one-off knock. I really want to make sure that I keep stepping up whenever the team requires it. I really need to sort out the other facets of the game and be really consistent. I just had the confidence in Ojha that he might defend [well] because he came in and said, ‘I will play for you [and] you will get the hundred’. He has been around for quite sometime; he has been playing Test cricket for two or three years now and he obviously knows how to defend.

On his batting

As far as the Indian team is concerned they would definitely like the lower order to contribute; that’s something we have taken upon ourselves to work on. I was never a bowler who could bat; I was a batsman who could bowl all my life and it just turned around when I made my debut in first-class cricket. I have always been getting runs consistently for Tamil Nadu. I don’t know exactly what I average but batting at No. 7 and No. 8 for Tamil Nadu I still get runs consistently [Ashwin’s highest score in first-class cricket is 107 n.o.]. Batting is something that comes quite naturally to me and I always persist and insist on going and batting. I take pride in my batting.

On his thoughts when he came in to bat after Sachin Tendulkar’s departure on 94

I don’t know; I just got my pads on, I didn’t have to wait a very long time. [MS] Dhoni got out and I just stepped out and decided to watch the ball and keep my head still and try and bat as straight as possible and play my shots. I wasn’t thinking about the buzz all around. In about one hour’s time everything changed and the crowd turned around and really supported me as well.

On the doosra and the carrom ball

I have been striving to bowl the doosra and it’s coming out quite well and I would like to develop more it more so it can go much more away from the right-hander. I have been working on [the] legal aspect and not really trying and bending the arm or anything because that doesn’t come to me even if I try.

The carrom ball is something that I picked up because I didn’t want to bowl the doosra initially. I just picked it up from playing tennis-ball cricket repeatedly.

On M Muralitharan

One thing I always admire about Murali is the way he comes out prepared for a game and how excited he is about the prospect of each and every game. In spite of playing hours and hours, day in and day out in the field, he still he comes out with the same energy level [as at the start of his career]. If I can replicate half of what Muralitharan [does] with his energy and enthusiasm for the game, I would have done quite a bit for myself.

On Day 5 of the Test

The wicket is a bit slow […] but if we can stick to our guns and be disciplined and get a couple of wickets and luck also goes our way [we have a chance].

On bowling with Ojha

I love bowling with Ojha and for that matter with Rahul Sharma as well. We have all played zonal cricket together right from the Under-19s; Ojha and I always bowl together for South Zone as well so we share a good rapport.