For someone who has been constantly on the lens, Ashwin has made peace with the fact that he is not going to make everyone happy and continued to focus on his thirst for learning and trying new things on the field. The series against England was no different. “Tried different actions, speeds, releases through the series. You need that skillset in India. Pleased with how the ball came out today, even though I went for a few.

Cricket is a game played between your ears. Looks like a lot is happening because the new ball is biting off the surface,” he had said, before adding, “Not insecure about what people feel about me. We have to get criticised. I take it on board, I lock away what I learn. If I’m confident of trying and executing something, I will try that. The amount of cricket we play, and the analysis, batters will line you up if you don’t change. Sticking to one method won’t work.”

At 37, Ashwin does not want to look or plan ahead or how he will go from here on in his international career. But he has already done enough and scaled enough peaks in the series against England to reiterate that he is still the best in the business.