"I put my hand up and said I will start" - Ravichandran Ashwin on how he got to bowl with the new ball on Day 3 of India vs England 4th Test

Veteran Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, for the first time in the ongoing Test series against England, got to bowl with the new ball in the visitors' second innings on Day 3 of the Ranchi Test.

The move worked wonders as Ashwin got the wickets of Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope on back-to-back deliveries. The off-spinner generated extra bounce with the new ball to get Duckett caught at short leg, before trapping Pope right in front for yet another duck in the Test match.

Speaking to the host broadcaster after the end of play on Day 3, here's what Ravichandran Ashwin had to say about how he got to bowl with the new ball:

"I have always enjoyed bowling with the new ball and today was one of those days where Rohit just said in the huddle, 'You both (Ashwin) are starting. Who wants to start?' I put my hand up and said I will start the over from this side. The new ball has some sort of attachment. I love bowling with the speed (off the surface)."

Ashwin picked up a staggering 35th five-wicket haul in Tests and ensured that the visitors were bundled out for just 145, setting India a target of 192 to win the fourth Test. The veteran spinner hadn't been at his best in the series so far and this performance couldn't have come at a better time for India.

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Ravichandran Ashwin on how he had to adapt to the conditions

Ravichandran Ashwin claimed that there wasn't much help in the pitch with the new ball and he had to rely on getting the ball to dip to outfox the batters. He later changed ends and realized there was a bit more purchase. Resorting back to his stock delivery, Ashwin trapped Joe Root in front from around the wicket.

Here's what he stated:

"Somehow when I come to the eastern part of the country, I find there's not enough bite off the surface. The bounce is almost shin height. So I had to go for the sidespin and had to hammer the ball on the pitch for a long part of the first spell. From the other end I found there was a bit of grip with the older ball."

Ravichandran Ashwin dismissed Ben Foakes with his carrom ball, a delivery that he hadn't tried much in the innings. When asked about why that was the case, Ashwin opened up on his dodgy knee and that he wanted to ensure easy runs weren't scored incase he didn't execute it well.

India have ended Day 4 on 40/0 and need 152 more runs to seal the Test series.