Nagpur Test: Ashwin optimistic of Indian victory on Day 5

Nagpur: India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is confident that the home team will be able to dismiss the remaining seven England batsmen at a fast clip thereby forcing a series levelling victory.

"Strange things have happened. We are not trying to be too optimistic, but we have done it before in India and we can take six or seven wickets in a session. It`s just about trying to get a couple of wickets tomorrow morning," Ashwin stated at the post-match conference today. Ashwin insisted that they have bowled well today. "We have bowled well today. We are pushing for a win? nothing got out of hand and we just have to stick to it, try to see if we can squeeze in a couple of wickets early morning," he added. Questioned about India`s lack of urgency to get quick runs in the morning when he was at the crease with tail-enders Pragyan Ojha and Ishant Sharma before India declared at 326 for nine, Ashwin defended the strategy saying the aim was to get as close to the England total as possible. "We had to just wipe out the lead, eat as much into the lead as possible so that whatever they score after that it becomes an even game," said Ashwin, who tried to shield the other two batsmen by farming the strike as much as possible in the one hour that India batted before the declaration. "(Strategy) was the same as the last game. Looking for the last two balls for the fielders to come in, but they had a different strategy. They didn`t bring the fielders up. After two overs we decided to take the singles," he said. PTI