Local hero Ravichandran Ashwin said on Thursday he made a conscious effort to bat aggressively on the red ground pitch laid out for the first Test against Bangladesh. The ploy worked brilliantly as Ashwin bailed India out with a magnificent hundred in front of the home crowd. “It’s an old Chennai pitch with a bit of bounce and carry. The red ground pitch allows you to take a few shots if you are prepared to just face the right way and hit a bit if the width is there,” Ashwin told the host broadcasters after the opening day’s proceedings.

“Obviously, I’ve always swung my bat outside the off-stump. I’ve been working on a few things and on a surface like this with a bit of spice, if you’re going to go after the ball, you might as well go after it really hard like Rishabh does.”

Rishabh Pant also batted well, scoring 39 off 52 balls before being dismissed for a loose shot. On a day when India lost their top four for 96, Ashwin showed remarkable control and dominated the Bangladesh bowling with his brilliant 102 not out from 112 balls in a tenacious rearguard performance while forging an unbroken partnership with Ravindra Jadeja (86*). This was Ashwin’s sixth Test century. Incidentally, MS Dhoni has also scored six Test centuries.

Ashwin attributed his strong performance to his recent stint in the Tamil Nadu Premier League, where he worked on his batting. “It helps that I have come back from a T20 tournament (TNPL). I have worked on my batting quite a lot,” he said.

“It’s always a special feeling to play in front of the home crowd. This is a ground where I love playing cricket. I have many wonderful memories of it,” said Ashwin, who hit his second hundred here.

Jadeja among the best batsmen

Ashwin also thanked his teammate Jadeja for his support during a difficult phase of the innings.

“He (Jadeja) was a real help. There was a point in time when I was sweating and getting a bit tired. Jaddu quickly noticed that and guided me through that phase,” said Ashwin, praising Jadeja’s ability to give crucial advice at the right moment.

“Jaddu has been one of our best batters on the team over the last few years. His presence has been solid and his advice that we don’t need to convert twos into threes has been really helpful to me.”

The duo’s 195-run alliance for the seventh wicket took India from a shaky 144/6 to an impressive 339/6 at stumps on the first day.

Looking ahead to the next day, Ashwin said: “It’s a typical old-fashioned Chennai pitch where overspin gives it a bit of bounce.

“The wicket will show its tricks much later in the game. It has enough in it for the quicks – good carries, good bounce if we present the seam nice and hard.

“The new ball will last a little while and we have to start again tomorrow. It’s still wet underneath so hopefully it will get faster when it dries,” he added.