Ravichandran Ashwin identifies series which set him on path to excel as a bowler

The third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy between India and Australia had ended in a draw. Moments later, under the gloomy sky of Brisbane, Ashwin left fans heavy-hearted and emotional with his sudden decision to retire from international cricket last week.

Ashwin's career, which spanned over a decade, saw him redefine the traditional norm of off-spin bowling across all formats. As years passed since his debut in Indian colours, Ashwin reinvented himself and his game to succeed at the biggest stage of the cricket world.

Days after retirement, Ashwin took a trip down memory lane to recall his illustrious career. While recalling some of the groundbreaking moments of his career, Ashwin stumbled upon the second Test in Mumbai between India and England.

The iconic Wankhede turned out to be a stadium where Ashwin came across his flaws after recording figures of 2-145. He was knocked around the Wankhede Stadium by England's batting legend Kevin Pietersen, who top-scored in the match with 186.

The bashing that Pietersen offered to the Indian bowling unit lifted England to a 10-wicket victory to level the series. England eventually went on to make history with a 2-1 series win, but for Ashwin, the series turned out to be an eye-opener.

"I have one regret in life. I know KP is a very proud man, I've seen him talk a lot about how he took us down in Mumbai. Very early in my career, in the formative years, things on the technical side that went wrong put me on the path of excellence," Ashwin said on Sky Sports Cricket podcast.

"I wanted to take on KP every single time after that. He's a wonderful batter, but anyone that didn't have a really sound defence was someone I fancied because I'm very good at picking up players who step out, players who sweep," he added.

When Ashwin lined up to face the likes of Pietersen and Alastair Cook, he came across a technical flaw in his bowling action, which hindered him from finding the right length.

The revelation that Ashwin came across about his own game set him on a path of finding different solutions and excelling as a bowler.

"In that particular series against KP and Alastair Cook, one of the finest batters I've bowled to, my alignments were so bad. My left leg was going so far out that I wasn't able to get my length right at all," he said.

"For the rest of my career, ever since 2012, it was all about finding different solutions. I'm very grateful for the series going that way because if it hadn't happened, I might not have set myself on the path to excel as a bowler because to excel as a bowler it's very internal rather than external," he added. (ANI)