Veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin revealed how he was inspired by former off-spinner Harbhajan Singh and used to copy his bowling action in his junior days. He admitted that when he came into the Indian Test team as Harbhajan's replacement, people doubted whether he would be able to shoulder such a heavy load and replace him.

Ashwin said on JioCinema that it was a big challenge for me. I used to imitate his actions and bowls in the junior age group. So he was a big inspiration for me. When I came into the team in his place, I never thought that both of us would play together at the same time, but it happened.

There were always doubts about whether I would be able to perform well in red-ball cricket or not because I came from the IPL. That shaped people's perceptions.

He said that but Test cricket is a format that I like and I want to improve in it every day. During this time many people helped me and I am very happy to be standing here today.

Ashwin revealed how his bowling and batting have evolved over the years in Test cricket. He further said, "I don't think that 'I want to go there and score a century'. I actually aim to take five wickets in every Test match. But in recent years, my batting has become simpler than before."

I used to confuse myself. I used to think too much as a bowler while batting. But now I keep it simple and just watch the ball and react. Separating both aspects was a challenge, but I think I have solved it.