Just 9 days after the Indian Premier League came to an end, finalist Ravichandran Ashwin travelled to play his club game as he wanted to “shift focus” from the T20 format to Test as the England Test game approaches.
Ashwin played a crucial knock in winning the title for his club – Mylapore Recreation Club A. He took a critical wicket in the semi-finals and also scored 81 runs while opening for the club.
Ashwin, who wants to see Tamil Nadu recapture its Ranji Trophy domination, believes that action is needed to restore the red-ball culture in the state, and that the TNCA should revert the First Division league to a three-day or four-day format next year, rather than the current two-day one.
After nearly three months with the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Ashwin returned to his club team, Mylapore Recreation Club A (MRC A), and helped them win the Raja of Palayampatti Sheild 2021-22, TNCA First Division title for the first time.
Ravichandran Ashwin in an interview said ““The purpose of playing these games (First Division) is to shift from 20 overs to this (red-ball) format… All these things are workload management. As you grow older, you play more and play smarter. I am trying to do that. I am enjoying my game. I just want to go there (England) and take it as it comes. I feel I can contribute with the bat and bowl well. I want to keep ticking on my fitness and keep working.”
Aswhin will be travelling to England for the fifth test. After the first four games, India leads the five-match Test series 2-1. The first of five matches ended in a tie following India’s victory at Lord’s. England won the third test, while India won the fourth test.
