Matt Renshaw Australian cricketer has acknowledged that India’s off-spinner, Ravichandran Ashwin, will be a difficult bowler to face during the upcoming four-test series in India, starting on February 9.
Matt Renshaw, who is part of the Australian team that will be touring India for the Border-Gavaskar series, stated that Ashwin is a smart bowler with many variations and uses them well, but he believes that once you’ve faced Ashwin for a while, you become more accustomed to him.
The series, which is set to begin in Nagpur, has attracted a lot of attention, and a lot of focus will be on how the Australian team, led by Pat Cummins, will handle Ashwin. Ashwin, who made history in 2021 by being the first bowler to take 200 wickets of left-handers, could prove to be more than a handful for the visitors during the high-profile series.
Renshaw also indicated that the main challenge for left-handed batsmen when facing Ashwin in spinning conditions is the lbw threat. Ashwin’s delivery that doesn’t spin has caused a lot of lbw dismissals and Renshaw believes that Australia should be wary of this.
Matt Renshaw
The Australian, who would most likely come in at No.5 if given an opportunity in the XI on the upcoming tour, however, was confident that his side would be strong challengers. “We have a strong squad and it is going to be hard to push my way in, but I know that I will be ready if I do get a chance,” he said.
Renshaw was a member of the side that toured India in 2017 and opened the innings in all but one inning of the four Tests. Ashwin dismissed him once, in the opening Test at Pune, but not before Renshaw had scored a half-century.
Renshaw, who is 26 years old, stated that two years of batting at No.5 helped him with facing spin. “I know my game a lot better now and I am a lot more comfortable in different situations,” he added.
The Australian cricketer is preparing for the series with SG balls and stated that his Big Bash League (BBL) stint with Brisbane Heat is helping him prepare for the series as the side is packed with spinners. Heat has the likes of leg-spinner Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Kuhnemann, and Marnus Labuschagne, and Renshaw said he is preparing for the India series with SG balls.
Renshaw’s Statement
“The SG ball is a bit different, so we are just trying to prepare as well as we can during this BBL schedule if we get a window to hit red balls,” said Renshaw.
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He also added that the conditions in India are a lot different and that they are trying to replicate them as much as they can. The plan was if (the Heat) got knocked out we’d do some prep with the (Australian) team in Sydney, but we just kept winning and are in the (BBL) finals now.
“We have got a good week and a bit in India before the first Test, so there will be plenty of time to prepare there as well,” he added.
Matt Renshaw acknowledges that India’s off-spinner, Ravichandran Ashwin, will be a difficult bowler to face during the upcoming four-test series in