Ashwin asserts that ball and bowling are two completely distinct athletics.

The India allrounder explains how he approaches batting and bowling different after posting a shiny hundred against Bangladesh.

Allrounders usually tend to draw from doing well in one skill to do well in the different but there is probably a possibility that R Ashwin's key ability may have held back his extra one.

After the second day of the Chennai Test between India and Bangladesh, Ashwin said," Botowling and batting are very separate sports in the same game." " One is done consciously. The other one is done subconsciously. So, for me, to compartmentalise both has taken its own due".

He scored 113 off 133 balls that helped the hosts post 376 in the first innings. The bowlers then ran through Bangladesh, knocking them over for 149 and taking almost complete control of the proceedings.

With the bat in hand, Ashwin needed to be a completely different person from the one who later became one of the greatest spinners in history, and he immediately put what he had learned from a long career into practice.

" At this stage, I am able to sequence that and split both of them and see as a cricketer. So, when I walked there]to bat ] the only thing I wanted to do was to settle down my game. Because I bowl when I am sequencing it, my mind can play tricks. As a batter, I should n't do that. When I enter, I simply use my experience. So, now it's more about just focusing on the ball and hitting it as I see it".

This was Ashwin's second successive century at his home ground, Chepauk, following on from a 106 against England in similar circumstances in 2021. He was n't quite able to pick which one he liked better.

" Both. ]The England Test ] had so much riding on it. We lost the first one and came to the second. Last time when I played at Chennai, I felt like I was making sort of a comeback in more than one way. I occasionally went a little here and there. I returned to Australia after spending time there. That was different and I enjoyed it. Since that particular game, I believe my batting has improved significantly. I put a lot of effort into maximizing my shots and game. I focused on improving my fast-bowling and other skills. I'm glad it's coming out nicely".

Ashwin does this- pushing himself even at 38 with 500 wickets already in the bag- for a very simple reason.

" Happiness. You want to be good. You excel. You feel happy at the end of the day. I'm drawn there by that. Every time I do well, it leaves me in a good, happy state of mind. That's what you get on this journey for. You want to do well. You want to be successful everywhere. You are enjoying your success because others are watching you.

There was a time, though, when Ashwin could n't find a way to play his cricket with this kind of freedom. Because I've already put a lot of pressure on myself, I was critical of myself earlier but not much now. I was under pressure from both inside and outside, too. I used to find happiness in answering my critics with my performance, or in the press conference. But that's not the case now. I believe that enjoying my game, being present, and playing cricket with a smile on my face is what's most important right now. Four-five years ago, I made a promise to myself, with great difficulty, that I would not respond to anyone from then on and would play for my own happiness. And I've kept that to this day.

As is often the case with his bowling, Ashwin had Jadeja as his partner for the course of a match-turning 199-run seventh-wicket stand.

" You do n't plan for such things. One cricketer, Jamdu, has made such a wonderful transition. I always envy him. I have made that amply clear. So gifted, so talented. He has found ways to maximise his potential. Keeps it really simple. He has the ability to repeat it day in and day out. I'd like to be him, but I'm happy to be me. He is an exceptionally good cricketer. I am happy for him. Likewise, in so many ways, watching him bat over the last couple of years has given me insight into how]much ] better I can be. Both of us have grown together. Both of us have accomplished some unique things. At this point, we really value one another. Both of us are enjoying each other's success more than ever before".