Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin today said he is not intimidated by the Australian batsmen's strategy of attacking him as he has the ability to handle the onslaught and pick wickets as well.
"I think it's been a batsmen's tournament, so you've got to stick to your basics and hope that you put the balls in the right place. When I came back I was pretty confident, I had my plans in place and I also had the extra fielder outside the circle, which was a big advantage," said Ashwin ahead of the second T20I here.
Ashwin felt he had the skills to come out on top when asked about Aaron Finch's attempted charge against him in the first T20I.
"...If they have a license, I have a license to pick up wickets too. And it's not like their off-spinner has gone very kindly, he's gone for 80 runs in all the games, that's the way the series is.
"It's not about an off-spinner; I think everybody has gone for runs. You can target a bowler or not, it's just a game-plan. And if that is their game-plan I'm more than happy for them to continue doing it. I think I have enough abilities to try and come out on top of it," he explained.
Ashwin returned after a break of three games in Adelaide, and he opened the bowling with Ashish Nehra. later, he returned to bowl in tandem with Ravindra Jadeja, and helped script India's win with figures of two for 28.
"I think in the first over I bowled well (in Adelaide), there wasn't anything wrong with the way I bowled, it's just that I went for runs. Throughout the ODI series, be it Nathan lyon or Kane Richardson, they have gone for 70 runs or more than that. So it's about picking up wickets and having the confidence to bowl the good ball again and again," he said.
On whether he felt disappointed after he was left out of the playing XI during the ODI series, Ashwin felt it was not an unfair call.
"The reason I didn't play was because I didn't win a game for India. If India had won, I would have played, as simple as that...The fact that I went for 70 runs, and then went for 60 runs, I had to sit out, and I think it's fair enough because you have to play the right combination. As far as I'm concerned I can just work that bit harder and keep going hard at it," he explained.
‘challenge for us to play T20s’
Arguably the most successful cricketing nation as far as Tests and ODIs are concerned, Australia have struggled in T20 and all-rounder Shane Watson feels it is because the shortest format only has "entertainment value".
"It is challenging with T20Is. Apart from the World T20, there really isn't that much riding on the series apart from national pride and wanting to win for your country," said Watson. "There is no rankings or big sort of things around and its pure entertainment value, and it certainly provides a lot of entertainment.
Watson said it would be a difficult task to get the right combination ahead of the World T20.
"...It is always a challenge at the back end of a summer, especially with a couple of guys going to New Zealand early and the make up of the WT20 squad going to India potentially could be different as well. "There isn't much continuity with the T20 group until it gets into the WT20 and it makes it very challenging to get the combination right. To know the roles of different guys and how they fit in and makes it very challenging, that's one of the major reasons why we have been so inconsistent."