"This Is A Game Of Second Innings": Ravichandran Ashwin's Clear Message After Five-Wicket Haul Against Australia

Little tweaks in technique after an underwhelming tour of Bangladesh has worked wonders for Ravichandran Ashwin, who will go to bed on Friday night "feeling a lot better" as his spells against the Australians had "more penetration". "You can go to bed feeling a lot better instead of having just three wickets in your kitty," Ashwin said after the end of second day's play in the series-deciding fourth Test. "It does feel good as you end up with good bag of wickets, even if you don't bowl sometimes, you feel good about it. I will go to bed tonight a bit early and a bit happier." Ashwin has taken 24 wickets in the series so far with an innings left to bowl, but his 6/91 in 47.2 overs will certainly go down as one of his best efforts on a flat deck, after having got a chance to ply his trade on some of the spinner-friendly conditions.

"We expected the wicket to play well but not as slow as it did. So let's hope that it gets tougher to bat on as the game goes on," he said after claiming his 32nd five-wicket haul.

Asked what worked for him on the second day, when he got five wickets for 34 runs, the cricket scientist, as many affectionately call him, gave a detailed explainer.

"No one spell is better than the other. And I felt at various stages in this particular series, be it in Delhi, the numbers probably don't give you a five or six but the ball is coming out beautifully," he said.

Then he touched upon the technical part.

"...and whatever changes I have put in -- loading (getting into delivery stride), cocking my wrists (wrist position), all those things have proved that my spells have been a lot more penetrative. Probably it was in Bangladesh and I don't think I was at my best.

"However smaller changes that I have made has