Hamilton: He might be going through a lean patch with the ball but R Ashwin contributed with the bat in Auckland and the Indian all-rounder said he is very comfortable with his cricket right now and is in best frame of mind ahead of the fourth ODI against New Zealand tomorrow.
Ashwin's maiden ODI half-century, which came while batting at number seven along with Ravindra Jadeja, helped India snatch a tie at Eden Park in the third ODI to stay alive in the five-match series.
"It was a good opportunity presented to me in terms of batting higher up the order. You do not often get so many overs to bat in the current Indian line-up. They always do the job of getting the runs. I got enough overs that day and I thought to just bat the way I bat in a Test match and look for runs all the time. It helped me out in the end," said Ashwin.
"This is probably the best frame of mind I have been in," he added, negating a lack of wickets in recent times.
"I have locked away a few things. I am not reading articles or listening to what people are saying about me. It doesn't make sense. I had a tour of South Africa which was quite a learning curve for me. I have decided if I am giving my best that is all I can do. I just locked myself out.
"I spoke to (MS) Dhoni about a couple of things, to the coach and had chats with a few people I trust. I thought things were going alright. It can happen, you cannot keep taking wickets or making runs all the time. The frame of mind I was in helped me perform the way I did," Ashwin said.
Ashwin bowled Corey Anderson in that third ODI in Auckland, and that was his first wicket in 78.3 lean overs across all formats of international cricket. His last wicket prior to this had come in the Durban ODI against South Africa, wherein he had dismissed Quinton de Kock.
"I am satisfied with how I am bowling. I have sorted out what length and what kind of bowling needs to be done. There are certain ways you need to construct a spell abroad away from India. I have learnt that and put that into practice," said Ashwin when asked about his lean patch with the ball.
