‘Elgar and de Kock batted really well’ – Ashwin

Are the bowlers off-colour? Could the captain be trying anything different? What if that false shot had gone to hand? It was no different at Visakhapatnam, as the stand between Dean Elgar and Quinton de Kock grew from pesky, to troublesome, to potentially match-saving, and India started to look up to the heavens.

Sometimes, of course, there is nothing the fielding side can do, and R Ashwin, who ended the day with 41 overs under his belt, felt that, while his side could have been tighter, in they end they simply came up against two quality, in-form batsmen, and needed to recognise that.

"It's a proper Test match pitch,” he said at stumps on Day 3. “You expect both sides to bat well, don't you? I thought they batted really well, Elgar and de Kock batted really well. We probably gave too many runs in the morning session. Credit needs to be given where it has to be given.

"He has made a big hundred. We all know how good a player Dean Elgar is. I enjoyed the challenge with him, he played some shots. Elgar has made runs all over the world, he is a fierce competitor."

That India ended the day on top – they lead by 117 runs and their opponents are eight down – was in large part down to Ashwin, who, playing his first Test in 2019, claimed his 27th five-wicket haul in the longest format. "I am elated to be back,” he said. “It is always special to play for India. Taking five-wicket haul always feels good. I make sure I enjoy playing the game wherever I play.

“For me it is about playing the game and I have realised that the joy of the game has to be back in my heart. I made sure that I enjoy the game wherever I go and play. That I thought to an extent was quite visible when I played yesterday.”

The performance marked the end of a tough road for Ashwin, who has had his status as India’s leading Test spinner come under threat from Ravindra Jadeja, and also had to struggle with fitness issues. For his part, he made the most of his time away.

“I was playing 12 months a year and up and down spike in workload probably would have caused [the injury],” he said. “That is why I went back and played wherever I got an opportunity and from my side I can tick those boxes and see how my body copes with it.

“In terms of addressing injuries and why it happened, it is best for the medical staff to do it. For me I felt like all of a sudden I wasn’t playing all formats of the game.

"My life has revolved around cricket for the last 25 years. I thought my life, my family everybody deserved a bit more of my time so I tried to spend time away from the game. I discovered other interests – reading archaeology books was one of them. I did not fret too much about the game.”