He scored 113 off 133 balls to help the hosts reach 376 in the first innings. The bowlers then overran Bangladesh, bowling them 149 and taking almost complete control of proceedings.

Ashwin came in at 144 for 6 and immediately put into practice what he had learnt over the course of his long career: that with the bat in hand, he has to be a completely different person to the man who became one of the greatest spinners in history.

“At this point, I’m able to sequence that and separate the two and see it as a cricketer. So when I went there (to bat), I just wanted to improve my game. The mind can play tricks on me because I’m a bowler who plays with 12, 18, 24 balls up front when I sequence it. As a batsman, I shouldn’t be doing that. I just use my experience when I come in. So now it’s more about just focusing on the ball and hitting it as I see it.”

“Both. (In the England Test) so much depended on it. We lost the first and came into the second. When I played in Chennai last time I felt like I was making a comeback in more ways than one. I was a bit here and there. I went to Australia and came back here. That was different and I enjoyed it. I think my batting has improved a lot since that game. I’ve worked quite a lot on how to maximise my batting and my game. I’ve worked on how to bowl fast and all that stuff. I’m glad it’s going well.”

Ashwin does this – even making an effort at 38 with 500 wickets already in his bag – for a very simple reason.

“Happiness. You want to be good. You want to outdo yourself. At the end of the day, you feel happy. That’s what drives me. Every time I do something well, it puts me in a good, happy mood. That’s what you do on this journey for. You want to be good. You want to shine on the world stage. People are watching you and you’re happy about it.”

There was a time, though, when Ashwin couldn’t find a way to play cricket with that freedom. “I used to be self-critical but not so much now because I put so much pressure on myself. It was not just me putting pressure on myself but also pressure from outside. I used to find joy in answering my critics with my performance or in the press conference. But that is not the case now. The most important thing for me these days is to enjoy my game by staying in the moment and playing cricket with a smile on my face. Four or five years ago, I made a promise to myself with great difficulty that from then on I would not answer to anyone and would play for my own happiness. And I have kept that promise to this day.”

As is often the case in bowling, Ashwin had Jadeja as his partner for his match-winning 199-run stand on the seventh wicket.

“You don’t plan something like that. Jaddu is a cricketer who has come along so well. I always envy him. I’ve made that clear. So gifted, so talented. He has found ways to maximise his potential. He keeps it really simple. He can repeat it day in and day out. I wish I could be him, but I’m glad I am. He’s an exceptionally good cricketer. I’m happy for him. Likewise, watching his batting over the last few years has given me insights in many ways into how (much) better I can be. We’ve both grown together. We’ve both done special things. We really appreciate each other at this stage. We both enjoy each other’s success more than ever.”