Ravichandran Ashwin has been on top of his game currently, especially providing series-winning performance for India in Sri Lanka. He was adjudicated the Man of the Series, which also show India clinch a Test series win in Sri Lanka after 22 years. Ashwin now wants to emulate his Sri Lankan success into the South Africa series and said that skipper Virat Kohli has empowered everyone. “Virat is someone who empowers everybody, he wants all of us to contribute. He wants to take opinions and nobody feels shy of sharing his own. He believes in a brand of cricket and wants the team to go for a win, even if it looks apparently impossible. We might not win everyday but the energy is infectious and it rubs off,” Ashwin was quoted as saying Times of India. Virat Kohli is a supportive captain: Ravichandran Ashwin When asked who Ashwin will target when South Africa tours India, the off-spinner said it will be a huge achievement to get AB de Villiers. “AB is a real special batsman and the way he bats, there are situations the way he bats, there are situations when you have to just say, ‘Oh wow!’ But it’s not just about AB, this is a great South African side and it’s going to be a very hard series. If we can actually beat them, it will be a huge thing.” Ashwin regards getting Sri Lankan great Kumar Sangakkara four times was the biggest achievement from India’s tour of Sri Lanka 2015. “It has to be getting Kumar Sangakkara out four times. But the biggest improvement that I noticed in my game was the way I adapted to situations. I was able to understand what pace I needed to bowl at, and the changes that I had to make between the first and second innings. There were times when the pitch was doing nothing but I got the job done and that was satisfying. I always had a good understanding of the game, but you can only execute that knowledge when you are at the top of your game.” Ravichandran Ashwin infers Test cricket is no child’s Play “I wanted to test Sanga around the outside edge of his bat. Spinners these days — more often than not — try to hit the pads of the batsmen and the number of times they beat the outside edge is pretty less. All through the series, I wanted to beat them on the outside edge and that worked.” Speaking about teaming up with Amit Mishra, Ashwin said, “The best thing is we are very different bowlers. The bounce that I get and the air speed that I generate is different to Mishra’s. He doesn’t get that much bounce but he gets a lot of revolutions on the ball and it is very hard to score off him. He has a beautiful loop and is slow through the air, and relishes a lot when a batsman is going after him. A batsman can’t play Mishra and me similarly. I have a lot of respect for his skill and it’s important that we work well in tandem for a period of time.” The off-spinner is happy that he is being compared with the best spinners in the world but feels being consistent will be a big achievement. “If you rest on your laurels there’s a chance you will stagnate. It’s a great honour for me that I am being compared to the best spinner in the world, but getting there and holding on to it will be a big achievement. Since childhood, I always wanted to be the best in the world in whatever I did. Striving to become the best spinner in the world is probably an extension of that mindset.” Ashwin said he loves watching his Australian counterpart, Nathan Lyon, bowl. “Nathan Lyon is bowling beautifully and I enjoy watching him bowl. But yes, this is definitely the best I have bowled in my career. I don’t compete with anybody but myself. At the present moment I am at the top of my game.”