‘Ravi Bhai organised Team Dinner, he sang as well’: Ravichandran Ashwin recalls dressing room scenes after 36 all-out in Adelaide

India’s veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin recalled the dressing room atmosphere after they were skittled out for only 36 runs in the second innings of the Adelaide Test on the previous tour of Australia in 2020-21.

Team India was blown by the pace trio of Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewoood and the team’s morale was on a new low. However, Ashwin revealed the team’s head coach Ravi Shastri organised Team Dinner and sang as well to lift the dropping shoulders.

Speaking to journalist Vimal Kumar on YouTube, the veteran spinner said, “We weren’t thinking of a series win at all, because the whole team atmosphere was down. But in the evening, Ravi bhai organised a team dinner, and he sang as well.”

Talking about how Ravi Shastri got the entire team involved in a Karaoke evening after the defeat in Adelaide, Ravichandran Ashwin said, “He [Ravi Shastri] switched on the karaoke and started singing. Slowly, others followed too.”

Ashwin revealed the team was focused on following the right process in the remaining three Test matches as full-time skipper Virat Kohli was leaving the team due to personal reasons.

“Virat was leaving the team. So, our intention was to be positive, go to Melbourne and win. We didn’t think of series, we kept small targets, we took each match individually after that,” Ashwin concluded.

India bounced back in the series in an emphatic fashion, winning at the MCG after stand-in skipper Ajinkya Rahane scored a fine century. Subsequently, the visitors registered a historic win at the Gabba to take the series by 2-1. Shubman Gill scored a fine knock of 91 runs whereas Rishabh Pant scored a match-winning unbeaten knock of 89 runs at Brisbane in the second innings.

The opening Test match between India and Australia will be played at Perth from November 22 onwards.