India vs England: ‘It was the mind of the batsmen’, Ashwin explains what helped him scalp 8 wickets in 2nd Test

Ashwin asserted that more than the turning Chepauk pitch, it was the ‘mind of the England batsmen’ that helped India dominate the second Test.

Ravichandran Ashwin wreaked havoc in Chennai during the second Test against England, guiding India to a series-levelling win on Tuesday afternoon. His bowling figures of 8 for 96 and a scintillating century in India's second innings helped the hosts defeat Joe Root-led side by 317 runs.

Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin waving at crowd at Chepauk after India beat England by 317 runs in the second Test on Tuesday (BCCI/Twitter)

The quality of the turning Chepauk track sparked a raging debate where former England captains Michael Vaughan and Kevin Pietersen mocked it for being a 'dust bowl'. However, the local boy showed how to play on this track and went on to bag the man-of-the-match award for his excellent all-round show.

After the conclusion of the game, the off-spinner asserted that more than the turning Chepauk pitch, it was the ‘mind of the England batsmen’ that helped his team dominate the second Test. During the post-match presentation, Ashwin credited his ‘pace and guile’ for getting the maximum out of the track.

“As much as people were predicting things from the outside, I thought the balls that were doing much wasn't getting wickets. It was the mind of the batsmen that got us wickets. I have been playing for years over here now and it takes pace and guile to do it. Keeping intent was very important,” Ashwin said.

Expressing his emotions over playing in front of the home crowd, Ashwin said he enjoyed his game as he is ‘aware’ of the conditions.

“Every load up gives a different result in terms of which way the pitch is behaving. I try and load up differently, use the breeze, use different angles to release the ball, speed of the run-up. This is working because I have created this awareness for myself.

“This wicket was very different from the one we played on in the first game. This was a red soil wicket, the first one was a clay wicket,” said Ashwin.

Ashwin took to Twitter and thanked the fans who arrived at the Chepauk, cheered for him and made him ‘feel like a hero’.

“I can’t express how I feel right now, but I am so very grateful to each and everyone who has wished me over the last few days. I would also like to thank the #KnowledgableChennaiCrowd for turning up in numbers and making me feel like a hero,” Ashwin tweeted.

Both teams will now move to Ahmedabad where the last two Tests of the series will be played. The third Test, which is going to be a day-night affair, will start on February 24 at the Motera Stadium.