Despite losing both the T20 and the ODI series to South Africa, Indian off-spinner R. Ashwin feels that there are no apparent weaknesses in the Indian side ahead of the four-match Test series.
Speaking at the unveiling of the Complan Cup and the launch of a city-wide hunt for Complan kids on Tuesday, the ace off-spinner said, “It will be a close contest. South Africa is a good side and we need to fight neck-to-neck with them to be competitive. It will be a tough challenge and a good series.”
Speaking on the series defeat, Ashwin said it was a close series that could have gone either way. He said, “Ours is a relatively inexperienced side. We have just a few players who have played 100-odd games. We need to give some cushion and time to this side. They have players like A.B de Villiers and Faf du Plessis who are very experienced players. We knew it was going to be hard-fought series and had the last over in Kanpur gone our away, the result could have been different.”
Hard nut to crack
While India generally starts as favourite in home conditions, it has often struggled against South Africa here, having drawn the last two Test series at home and not winning a one against the African nation since its 1-0 victory in 2004.
And lot will depend on Ashwin who is on top of his game with a ‘Man of the series’ performance in Sri Lanka in August. He picked up 21 wickets in three matches and helped India clinch the series there for the first time in 22 years.
Close to full fitness
Ashwin, who was out of action from the ODI series after picking up a side-strain in the first match in Kanpur, said, “I’m close to full fitness and I’m confident of bowling well in the Test series.”
When asked about if the IPL has helped the recent spate of high scores on Indian grounds, Ashwin said, “One of the major reasons is the boundary is very small though the IPL too has helped players be familiar with the local conditions to an extent. But I can’t comment on whether the size of the ground should be increased or not.”