Following India’s loss to England in the first Test at Leeds last week, Ravichandran Ashwin criticized broadcasters for their strong words about the Indian bowlers. England was able to chase a score of 371, with India only getting five wickets on Day 5. Ashwin agreed that India’s bowling could have been better but didn’t think the bowlers should take all the blame. He called out the commentators, noting that their talk changed to blame the bowlers once England won.
Ashwin mentioned on his YouTube channel that after the 370 score was chased in the first Test, the commentary started to sound like it was attacking the Indian bowlers. He felt like the story being told was about how the Indian bowlers failed to win. He said that with a little research, it’s clear that teams in England have chased down scores consistently in the fourth innings.
Ashwin suggested that the batters need to be more accountable, urging them to change their scores of 100 into bigger scores. India had four people score centuries in the first match. Rishabh Pant hit one in both innings.
Ashwin stated that batters should be more responsible, acknowledging that they are scoring runs, including five centuries. He questioned where were the big hundreds? He says they have to accept that the lower order won’t contribute much with the bat and that their fast bowlers can’t score runs.
Ashwin questioned the bowlers, except for Jasprit Bumrah, for allowing England to score too easily. He said the other bowlers need to bowl tight, so Bumrah can create pressure from the other end.
Ashwin said that in Tests, maiden overs are often underrated. He would be fine with Bumrah having a higher economy rate, as long as the others keep it low. He watched a show where someone thought Siraj was unlucky not to get wickets. Ashwin agreed that Siraj bowled well in the second innings, but said his economy rate was too high and that you can’t hope things will just work out. He said that in Tests, build your bowling from Day 1, and you’ll get rewards later.
Ashwin made clear that giving away lots of runs early can make you bowl too defensively, and you won’t get wickets that way. He said if he was Morkel, he’d tell the other bowlers not to try too hard, since Bumrah is there. Ashwin stated the old saying is to bowl three maiden overs, and you’ll get a wicket. He asked wouldn’t a wicket fall after three maiden overs in a row against England? He closes his statement by saying that against this English side, giving up two runs an over is as good as bowling a maiden.