The first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, played on Saturday in Nagpur, saw India defeat Australia by an inning and 132 runs, thanks in large part to the skipper Rohit Sharma‘s 120 and the veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin’s 5-wicket haul.
Both legends were seen debating the match’s different elements, including Ashwin’s 5-wicket haul, Rohit’s century, and the Nagpur surface, in a video that the BCCI posted after the game.
As Ashwin questioned Rohit about how it felt to become one of the select group of players to make a century in each of the three formats while serving as captain, Rohit said, “Yeah, it feels extremely fantastic. I recently learned that I had accomplished this feat. Because you’ve been playing for so long, it’s always good when you can add these milestones while you’re playing. But in all honesty, that thought never crosses your mind. You have all those wickets, Ashwin. I’m sure you don’t consider all those figures. You simply go out there, compete, and help your team win.
Milestones, match-winning contributions and some special praise for @imjadeja! 🔝 👏
Interview Special from Nagpur, ft. #TeamIndia captain @ImRo45 & @ashwinravi99 👍 👍 – By @RajalArora
FULL INTERVIEW 🎥 🔽 #INDvAUShttps://t.co/eVYkmDfyKR pic.twitter.com/05GjxPK3TF
— BCCI (@BCCI) February 11, 2023
When I said “old school cricket,” what I meant was that you had to move forward, attempt to trust your defence, and not worry about what the pitch was going to do. When asked how he navigated the surface while facing the Australian spinners, the right-hander responded, “You just have to come to play the ball and worry about the rest later.
The pitch debate, which has dogged the series since before the first ball was bowled, was the next topic Ashwin and Rohit discussed.
“Pitch discussion, especially for travelling teams, is the true favourite topic on social media. There was not a single ball that nicked off and went to pointless areas when you or they were batting. You two didn’t seem to be in any difficulties. What’s the trick? Is it decent batting technique or do we have a different pitch today? Ashwin enquired of Rohit.
Identical pitch The conversation we have in the locker room, as I previously mentioned, is about your skill and what you can do on the field. Why pitch is being discussed so much is beyond my comprehension. Sad to see how little is said about skills. The batter and bowler aren’t getting much attention. It’s terribly unfortunate, but it is what it is. We didn’t care, Rohit remarked.
The skipper also praised Ravindra Jadeja, who played in his first international match in five months and won man of the match honours on Saturday.
