No comparison between me and Harbhajan, says Ashwin

[1]

Even though he has had a dream Test debut, snapping up nine wickets against the West Indies at the Feroz Shah Kotla here, Ravichandran Ashwin was quick to admit there is no comparison between him and veteran spinner Harbhajan Singh.

Coming into the side in place of Harbhajan, Ashwin’s form and confidence are going to make things tougher for the veteran to make a comeback.

Ashwin, however, said that he only wanted to satisfy his conscience and not think about the competition. “I am a promising youngster and he is a senior pro, where is the bridge? He has done his job. Now probably when I am given my duties, I will have to not live up to expectations but only my conscience,” Ashwin said at the end of the third day.

Incidentally, Ashwin’s figures are only next to Narendra Hirwani’s 16-wicket debut haul against the same rivals in 1988. “I didn’t expect so much from my debut match. I was just hoping for a five-wicket haul,” the 25-year-old said. “Frankly speaking, I was not feeling the nerves. My body wasn’t moving the way I wanted in the first few overs, but that was all,” he revealed.

Ashwin’s most prized wicket was of Shivnarine Chanderpaul who was done in at 47 by the spinner.

“Chanderpaul was playing well when I was bowling around the wickets in the first innings. I just used a different tactic to bowl from over the wickets and try and make him move in a different direction. Luckily it worked. It was a vital wicket,” said Ashwin, who took 6/47 in the second innings.

The Chennai bowler also felt that it was his Ranji Trophy experience that held him in good stead here. “Playing in the Ranji Trophy is the best thing for me and others for making it to Test. The format is almost the same,” he added.