'I came of age in Australia this time' - Ashwin

R Ashwin has said that India's previous tour of Australia in 2014-15 was a "coming of age" series for him as a spinner. Although Ashwin's 12 wickets in the three Tests he played in the four-match series cost him 48.66 runs apiece, he told ESPNcricinfo in Chennai that he was satisifed with how he bowled in conditions that provided little assistance to spinners.

"To say it [performance overseas] will get better by the time I'm done, is not how I look at this game," Ashwin said. "I think I came of age when I played in Australia this time. More than anything else, I think I created a lot of wicket-taking opportunities and put a lot of pressure on the batsman.

"To bowl 30 overs in a day in Australia is a really commendable effort for a spinner in my knowledge. Over the last year, my bowling has come a long way. If you asked me, would you take 25 wickets more or how you are bowling right now, I would say I will take how I am bowling right now because I know the wickets are round the corner."

Since his Test debut in 2011, Ashwin's record in the sub-continent has been far superior to his performances overseas. While he has 100 wickets from 16 Tests in Asia at an average of 23.87, his returns of 24 wickets in nine games outside Asia at 56.58 is considerably less impressive. Ashwin isn't too perturbed by the numbers, insisting that consistently good bowling on foreign surfaces will translate into better figures eventually.

"I might end up getting six wickets in Australia one day and I might say that is where I wanted to be," he said. "I played a Test match in South Africa and played a couple in England. If I play a test in India, I might end up picking five wickets immediately but it might happen in the third or fourth test in England or South Africa. It hasn't happened but might happen soon."

Ashwin said he wanted to take more responsibility for the team's performance overseas. He spoke of the period after the Wanderers Test in 2013 where he went wicketless in South Africa's second innings as one that was necessary for his development.

"Maybe that is what was needed for me to become a better bowler. I firmly believe that was fate because until then I had played 18 Test matches without a lot of bad games.

"I hadn't gone wicketless in any game before that except once in Sydney [in 2012]. Immediately after that, I got dropped for a Test match. So when these things happen, I don't look back at it and say I was unlucky. I keep telling everybody, including my wife, that take the harder option because you never have to question yourself later on.

"When you go abroad, if everybody plays [their] role to perfection, the role of a spinner is much easier. Having said that, I should take greater responsibility on myself. I want to emulate a lot of things that the past greats have done. I'd be happier if I had won more games for India."

Ashwin was described as "priceless" by India's new Test captain Virat Kohli after the recent Test in Bangladesh where he claimed 5 for 87 in the first-innings of a rain-affected game. Ashwin was equally appreciative of Kohli, saying there were parallels in their approach to the game.

"Whichever team I've turned up for, I've always wanted to contribute and be the prime performer. To a degree, Virat is very similar and I love that character of his because we both go about our business in a very different manner.

"He is very aggressive, upfront and on the face. I don't quite do that but I still want to take the centrestage. If he is the batsman doing it for India, I want to be the bowler that does it for India. The one driving factor that is common to us is that we want to keep improving and we don't want to sit on laurels. I really admire that aspect of his which I don't think is very common."

Ashwin was philosophical, and even fatalistic, while speaking of his flair for leadership. Asked if he would like to captain the national side in the future he said, "If you would have asked me two or three years ago, I would have said yes like any vibrant youngster. There are a lot of occupational hazards. I wouldn't say that's a priority because it is not in my hands. Somebody has to identify something in me to hand over such a big responsibility. I led Tamil Nadu when I was 20. That really put me on the map when it came to playing for India.

"I was really confident of myself as a leader but I think that leadership is something that needs to be identified and I need to be entrusted with it. As of now, I'm only getting better as a player and a person every day. If it has to happen, it will happen. I think it is a matter of fate."

Ashwin's next assignment will be India's forthcoming series in Sri Lanka in August. He doesn't expect the pitches to be as spin-friendly as many do but on the back of encouraging recent form, he isn't too concerned.

"The wickets are much truer and have something for the fast bowlers. It is not easy but we have to go there and acclimatise and play some good cricket as Sri Lanka is going to be a very tricky destination.

"The way I bowled in Bangladesh is where I would like to be all through my career, however long I continue to play. If I can replicate what I did in Bangladesh, it should not matter a great deal."