Ashwin credits Test captain Virat Kohli for backing him as a frontline spinner

India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin on Wendesday said Ishant Sharma might have "overstepped the line" during the third and deciding Test against Sri Lanka recently but backed the pacer to learn from the experience. According to a report in The Indian Express, Ashwin defended his teammate and believed he will only come out stronger.

"I think everybody needs to be who they are. Everybody playing cricket wants to be aggressive. Some people are aggressive from within, some people are more expressive. But whatever happens in life, there needs to be lesson learnt and Ishant was aggressive, he won the Test match for us," Ashwin told 'NDTV'. 

According to The Tribune, Ashwin credited Test captain Virat Kohli for backing him as a frontline tweaker. Off-spinner Ashwin said that the young leader has always helped his teammates to cross barriers. Ashwin, who played a leading role (21 wickets in 3 matches) in India's 2-1 series win against Sri Lanka early this month, said that his captain's faith in his abilities worked out well for him. "I want to be the best in whatever I do. Whenever he hands the ball over, I can be rest assured that I will get what I want and I am always backed. And that's something not just between me and him. I think he has done that with everybody in the team. Whoever he has backed, he has backed them and helped them cross barriers," he added.

Meanwhile, according to India Today website report, Indian offspinner Ravichandran Ashwin said he has been enjoying playing under Test skipper VIrat Kohli. He also said that both of them said things to each other and nothing was taken to heart. India's lead spinner said their captain was open to changes and gave his players freedom to express themselves on the field. "We have played together for a considerable period of time. Both of us came into the team at the same time. We have played our formative period together and thus there is a bit of comfort in the way we communicate," Ashwin said.

When asked about the team's aggressive approach, Ashwin said: "We wanted to make sure that everybody had the freedom to express themselves. Everybody was given the license to go out there, be themselves and enjoy themselves."