NEWS
Follow UsHaving picked up just one wicket in the first innings of the third Test against England in Ranchi, India’s ace spinner R Ashwin made a terrific comeback in the second essay. The offspinner scalped his 35th five-wicket haul and kept England’s overall lead to 191.
The hosts conceded a lead of 46 in the first innings and were in a position from where England could have easily batted them out of the game. However, that’s when Ashwin stood up and got the wickets of Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Ben Foakes and James Anderson. Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal have already put on 40 runs, with India now needing only 152 with all their wickets remaining.
"So actually I had to go back and rewire the way I had to think about the game. I am someone who comes over the top, comes down on the ball. I like the ball to drop on the pitch. Somehow when I come to the eastern part of the country, I find that there is not enough bite out of the surface. The bounce is literally almost near the shin height, if I can say that,” said Ashwin.
"So I had to really go a lot of side spin. I had to hammer into the pitch for the first part of the spell. And later from the other side, I felt like there was a little bit more purchase. I had to literally rewire and it was a mental switch I had to make."
Talking about Foakes’ dismissal, where he used the carrom ball to get a return catch from the wicketkeeper-batter, Ashwin said: "For some strange reason, my knee has been acting up. So it just takes me 10-12 balls to warm up. But I had a bit of warm up before getting in as well. So once I got my length right, that is when I wanted to really try it. I didn't want to give extra runs because we are chasing last. So every single run to chase is a big bonus."
It was also the first time Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja opened the bowling in this series. The offspinner now has 170 wickets in 51 innings while opening the bowling, averaging just over 19. “I've enjoyed bowling with the new ball and today was one of those days where Rohit just said that both of you are starting, who wants to start? I put my hand up and said I'll start the over from this side.
"Glad and yeah, the new ball has got some sort of an attachment. I enjoyed bowling with a little bit more speed. Loved it once again."
Playing his 99th Test, Ashwin now has 507 wickets, including 35 five-fers, the joint-most for India alongside Anil Kumble. "I mean you can pick all the wickets you want, you can perform all that you want, a team win is (like) nothing else.
“I mean it's the best thing that can happen to a cricketer. To win a Test match at the end of 4-5 days, the feeling is surreal. I would like to have that feeling tomorrow and Ro (Rohit) and Jaiswal have started really well, so hopefully they can carry on from here."
Ashwin also heaped heavy praise on Kuldeep Yadav, who claimed four wickets in the second innings and conceded only 22 runs in 15 overs. That’s not it, Kuldeep also scored 28 off 131 and put on 76 runs with Dhruv Jurel to push India closer to England’s first-innings total.
"I thought we were a little harsh on KD (Kuldeep), got him to bat a little too early than what he would have desired but I felt his defense was gun, he was showing a lot of composure, kept the dressing room very calm," Ashwin said.
"It was even better from Dhruv, I thought. Great composure for somebody just playing a second Test match. Tight in defence, had a great game plan, wasn't going bonkers. Picked the right ball to hit. And yeah, that was a huge lift. We batted through till lunch, almost getting on par.
"If you had given us even 70-80 runs ahead last night when we went back to the hotel, you would have taken it with both hands."
With the ball, Kuldeep got rid of in-form Zak Crawley, Ben Stokes, Tom Hartley and Ollie Robinson. "Yeah, it was phenomenal. I thought Kuldeep bowled brilliantly. But what I really loved about what Kuldeep did today was the way he was working on his run-up, changing the momentum and all that sort of stuff.
“We all know how much revs he can put on the ball, what skill he's got. But when you can change up the pace like that, change the trajectory, which he's willing to do now, I think he's double the bowler that he is. Really happy for him. I just stole the five-for away from him. But that's how the game goes."
