“I never thought I would be able to bond and spend so much time with my teammates” – R Ashwin

After guiding India to another series victory, Ravichandran Ashwin highlighted the brighter side of living in the bio-bubble. The off-spinner all-rounder stated that living in the demanding bio-bubble for months has allowed him to spend a lot of time with his teammates, which wouldn’t have been possible under normal circumstances.

Most of the Indian cricketers have been in grueling bio-bubbles since August 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The restricted movements and norms have been complex and have taken a toll on several cricketers’ mental health.

However, Ashwin believes that a normal situation wouldn’t have allowed him to bond as well with his Indian teammates. Looking at the positive side of the 'new normal', Ashwin said:

“This bio-bubble situation has made life different, but I never ever thought that I would be able to bond and spend so much time with my teammates. For me, sometimes knowing some of my teammates wouldn’t have been possible without the bio-bubble situation. Bio-bubble has allowed us to spend a lot of time with each other.”

One of the happiest phases of my career: R Ashwin

Ashwin wasn’t likely to play the first Test against Australia at Adelaide in December. Ravindra Jadeja’s injury turned a blessing in disguise for the Tamil Nadu cricketer, who grabbed the opportunity with both hands.

Life lessons, courtesy @ashwinravi99 👍👍#TeamIndia @Paytm #INDvENG pic.twitter.com/hDOQbgkUMF

— BCCI (@BCCI) March 6, 2021

One of the stars of India’s unbelievable 2-1 series win in Australia, Ashwin was also a key architect of the 3-1 series win against England that saw the side qualify for the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) Final.

Since December, Ashwin has taken 44 wickets at 18.56 and scored 267 runs at 26.7. Not only was he difficult to handle for the likes of Steve Smith and Ben Stokes this season, but he also made critical contributions with the bat. Ashwin also became the second-fastest bowler to 400 wickets in Test cricket.

“This is one of the series where I was fortunate enough to stay in the moment. This is one of the happiest phases of my career. I am just going through it and enjoying it,” said Ashwin, who won his eighth Man of the Series award.

Crediting the resilient attitude of the Indian team, Ashwin emphasized how the side has played cricket by staying in the moment and has always found players who have bailed the side out of murky waters.

“Being 0-1 down, you tend to get protective about your backyard. Many things are spoken and perceived from outside, but as a team, what we have done well over the past six months is staying in the moment and focusing on what’s in front of us. Also, try to play some brave cricket.

“The way we came back in the second Test was great. In all of the last three Tests, we managed to get ourselves in sticky situations but found someone to stand up,” added Ashwin, who became the fifth cricketer to have achieved the double of 30 plus wickets and a century in a series.

India have returned to No.1 spot in the ICC Test Rankings, with Ashwin breaking into the top three in bowlers’ rankings. India’s next Test assignment will be the WTC final against second-ranked New Zealand at Lord’s in June.