"When I was in Australia, Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith were.."- Ravichandran Ashwin reveals the secret behind his preparations against opposing batters

Ravichandran Ashwin never shies away from thinking outside the box to gain the upper hand on the cricket field. Known for his cricketing acumen, the India Test spin spearhead comes up with an innovative idea now and then to excel on the field.

And he has now revealed the extent to which he goes to win his battles in the games. In an interaction with former India captain Anil Kumble on JioCinema, Ravichandran Ashwin revealed that he befriends the media guys to secure the footage of the opposition batsmen’s net session.

He revealed that he used the ploy when he toured Australia for the 2020/21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The Tamil Nadu ace said that securing the footage of the net session not only helps him prepare to deal with the batsmen but also gives him a psychological edge over them.

“Sometimes I make friends with the media guys and get footage from the backside when the batters are practicing in the nets. When I went to Australia, there were occasions where Marnus and Smith were using their feet and going back in the nets.

“It really works because I feel human beings are very insecure. The moment they know you have them, you’re winning half the battle,” said Ravichandran Ashwin.

“I feel England and Australia batters bat against spin much better than some of our own on occasions because they know this is a very stern challenge so year across they end up preparing to play spin, like we prepare to play seam and bounce,” he added.

Ravichandran Ashwin did enjoy a good outing in Australia in the 2020/21 season. He finished the series as India’s second-highest wicket-taker. In 3 games, the veteran spinner picked up 12 wickets as India registered a famous 2-1 series win.

Ravichandran Ashwin enters 500 Club:

Ravichandran Ashwin recently added yet another feather to his already illustrious cap. He picked up his 500th Test wicket during the third Test against England in Rajkot last month. The right-arm spinner became the quickest Indian and second quickest overall to 500 Test wickets. Among active cricketers, he is one of the only three bowlers who have picked up 500 wickets in Tests.

In the ongoing series against England, he has picked up 17 wickets in four Tests so far and will be looking to finish the series on a high. The fifth and final game of the series is scheduled to be played on March 7 in Dharamsala.