Off-spinner R Ashwin is one of the most decorated modern-day cricketers. Known for having a lot of variations, he is always looking to upgrade his skills to keep up with times which has helped him serve the Indian team better.

Ashwin made his debut for the Indian ODI team and Test team in 2010 and 2011 respectively. He was a member of the teams that went on to lift two ICC trophies - the 2011 ICC World Cup and the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy.

Within a short period, he became an important part of the Test team. His uncanny ability to pick wickets with the red ball, especially on Indian pitches made him a staple for the Indian Test team.

Ashwin recently overtook Kapil Dev’s 434 Test wickets to become the second-highest Indian wicket-taker in Tests after Anil Kumble (619), with 442 dismissals in 86 Test matches to his name.

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Sharing advice given to him by former India coach Duncan Fletcher, Ashwin said: "It's been a journey; I have made a lot of mistakes. Years ago, we had this head coach Duncan Fletcher and I would go and ask him, how do I improve this, how do I improve that, how do I get better? He said 'only way you get better is by making mistakes and failing in front of people.'

"That's what I have done all my life. I have received a lot of criticism from people on how I have tried to expand beyond the realms. Sometimes people may feel, 'Why the hell is he doing such things? Is he over-ambitious, is he trying to do too much?' But that's just me, if you try to take that out of me you won't get this person. So, I come with a lot of problems. If I am utilized and given the form of expression I require, I think I can explore boundaries," he added.

(PTI inputs)