R Ashwin played a significant role in India’s historic series win in Australia last year. He was India’s second-highest wicket-taker in the series and, with the bat, played a memorable, incredibly defiant hand drawing the Sydney Test along with Hanuma Vihari.
Ashwin battled with severe back pain and Vihari tore his hamstring early in his innings. But the duo continued to bat on together for 258 balls in an unbeaten stand to keep the series alive for the visitors who then created history by beating Australia in Gabba.
R Ashwin reveals an interesting story
One of the most memorable moments from that SCG Test was the war of words between Aussie skipper Tim Paine and Ashwin. Confident of beating India at the Gabba, Paine sledged Ashwin, “I can’t wait to get you to the Gabba, Ash, I’ll tell you what, woohoo.” Known for his sassy replies, Ashwin shot back, “Just like we wanna get you to India. That will be your last series.”
Paine’s words came to bite him back as Australia lost at the Gabba for the first time in 32 years.
Now, Voot Select has produced a gripping web series about India’s triumph in Australia. At the launch of its trailer, Ashwin revealed the anecdote about his reply to Paine.
R Ashwin had dismissed Paine caught at short leg in the Melbourne Test and had told Vihari that if Paine comes to India for a Test series, then he will surely get out like that again.
“I think Vihari will remember why I said that as well. Because we had a discussion on the way Tim Paine was batting through the series. I kept telling these guys and we got a very different sort of a short leg position, which was forward short leg and then we usually have a leg slip. We had a chat… Rahane, myself, Vihari and we said, ‘Pujara will generally stand at leg slip but this guy won’t stand with the helmet. Let’s put him somewhere else and get this guy under the lid’,” Ashwin said during the trailer launch of the Voot Select’s web series Bandon Mein Tha Dum’.
“We had this conversation and parked him there in a very awkward position and he (Paine) actually nicked off there. We had a celebration and I told Vihari, ‘This guy better not come to India. If he actually comes to India, he will be going there every single time. At the end of the day, he was having a go at us when we were batting and it just came out of my mind because we had a conversation like that. It was very instantaneous,” he further added.
Turns out Paine is unlikely to play Test cricket again after stepping down as Australia’s captain ahead of the Ashes last year following the text message scandal. He was also not given any contract by his state team.
