Virat Kohli wants every player to be like Steyn, says Ashwin

Indian off-spinner, Ravichandran Ashwin has had a phenomenal year in Test cricket with the ball. His superb bowling performances have earned him the top spot in the ICC Test Bowling Rankings. Ashwin picked up 62 wickets in just nine Test matches in 2015 to become the No. 1 Test bowler in the world.

Speaking to The Hindu, Ashwin revealed how he came to dominate batsmen with the ball in 2015 and about his sources of inspiration to want to get better. Ashwin spoke about the motivation that Test captain, Virat Kohli gives to all the players and how Kohli instills belief in everyone.

“The best part of Virat is that he is an excellent cricketer and motivates the entire team. He wants everybody to be a Dale Steyn, be the best batsman, be the best bowler, best fielder and that attitude helps.

“Predominantly when you see Indian leaders, they want to be on top and as for people under them, they want them to be there. But Virat wants to pull people to his level, that is a phenomenal quality,” Ashwin explained.

Ashwin also gave credit to team director, Ravi Shastri and bowling coach, Bharat Arun when asked who were the people who helped him find rhythm with the ball in 2015.

“Ravi Shastri (team director) and Bharat Arun (bowling coach). There is no one right person and they have come and guided me and probably (in the future) there will be another person, who will push me forward,” he said.

Although Ashwin had a relatively inferior year with the bat in 2015, he scored 248 runs at an average of 20.66 that also included three fifties. He was also named as the best Test all-rounder earlier in December 2015. Ashwin, who started his career as a batsman, spoke about how he takes his batting very seriously.

“I always put a price on my wicket. Over the last year I have had a bit of tennis elbow and whatever runs I got has been entirely due to grit. I am a ‘hands-player’ and my tennis elbow has hampered the feel of my hands. But it is definitely getting better,” Ashwin said.

Ashwin is looking forward to playing the limited-overs series in Australia and he hopes to try and win the battles that he will face Down Under. It will be a real test for the 29-year-old, who has been immense in subcontinent conditions, as to how he can cope with the Australian pitch conditions.

India's tour of Australia starts on January 12, 2016.