Ravichandran Ashwin feels that the bigger boundaries in Australia will be beneficial for the bowlers as it will give them the liberty to attack, unlike the smaller Indian grounds where one is forced to employ defensive tactics.

India are currently training in Perth, where they also played a practice game on Monday, against Western Australia XI. India won the game by 13 runs, but Ashwin did not bowl.

“We can get caught up with what happens in T20s and bilaterals back home. Only fair to say that bowlers are getting hit around the park, but we also need to understand that boundaries are very close to the 30-yard circle in India.

“When you come to Australia, the boundaries are far bigger, gives license to the bowlers to work with. It is also very important to know the lengths you have to bowl, so you got to be brave enough to take 50-50 options in these places,” Ashwin said after Monday’s game at the WACA.

India captain Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant, in another image posted on Twitter, walk out to bat in the practice match on Monday. Twitter

Ashwin said arriving early in Australia ahead of the Cup was important for the players to acclimatise with the conditions.

“We are taking it as seriously we can. We are here to acclimatise because we have never been in Australia during this time.

“So it was important that we got used to the pace and bounce. There are a few guys who are new to the team.”

In Monday’s match, Suryakumar Yadav once again was the standout batter for India as his 35-ball 52 was key to the team’s total of 158/6 in 20 overs.

In reply, the hosts managed 145/8.

With the ball, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Arshdeep Singh made short work of the home team’s top-order inside the six Powerplay overs. The Western Australia XI were reduced to 29/4 and they could never recover from thereon.

Arshdeep was the best Indian bowler on view with impressive figures of 3/6 from three overs, while Bhuvneshwar (2/26) and Yuzvendra Chahal (2/15) also chipped in with couple of wickets.

Respect for Pak

India will take on Pakistan in their World Cup opener in Melbourne on October 23. A year ago, India had lost to Pakistan in the T20 World Cup, their first loss to the arch-rivals in a World Cup. Ramiz Raja, the Pakistan Cricket Board chairman, recently said that the “billion dollar” Indian team has finally started to respect Pakistan as opponents.

Asked about that, Ashwin said: “Until you said that, I didn’t know he made a statement like that. That is one way of dealing with it. But look it is a game of cricket, whatever political tensions, we don’t play very often.

“The rivalry is big. But at the end of the day, you do understand as a sportsperson that wins and losses are part of the game...

“Especially in this format, the margins are going to be so close and to respect an opposition is not something that comes with wins and defeats. It comes in the way you are made and we definitely respect the Pakistan side and so do they.”

Ashwin also hopes that India will draw confidence from their recent successes in Australia.

Written with inputs from PTI