The thinking cricketer that Ravichandran Ashwin is, he’s also calculative in terms of keeping himself in top shape. Shining with both bat and ball to play the leading role in India’s 280-run win over Bangladesh in the opening Test in Chennai, Ashwin is mindful of the long Test season ahead in which, he will be having a massive role to play.

“It’s a long season. And it’s tough. Sometimes when you look so far ahead, it can be quite difficult. You’re playing like 3-4 months of cricket and 10 Test matches,” said at the post-match news conference on Sunday.

“But sometimes you can’t think like that. You have to stack up one game at a time. I did put in a bit of work getting into it, but I need to have some reserves in the tank as well,” the senior off-spinner emphasised.

“Small windows” of break in between the upcoming Tests will help the 38-year-old to remain fresh, while he has also tweaked his fitness routine a bit.

“There are good breaks between games. Hopefully, we’ll get small windows for me to keep ironing them (fitness issues) out.

“More than skill, I think it’s about physically being able to go through the season which is of utmost importance for me,” Ashwin noted.

“It’s not the same when you play at 25, 26, 30 or even 35 (years of age). Thirtyeight is different to 35. Every bit of work that you put in, you’ve to do doubly harder to earn the right to be there.

“So, I have reduced my strength-training sessions. I work differently on mobility and other aspects. I do a bit of yoga, which has helped.”