INDIAN CRICKET has been slow to assimilate the quality and usefulness of Ravichandran Ashwin. He was the fastest Indian bowler to hit 100 and 200 proving grounds, but was called a spin-track bully. He had scored four test hundreds, before his fifth at Chepauk on Monday, but no credit came in due. In fact, he was removed from the India one-day squad after the 2017 Champions Trophy for being one-dimensional.
On Monday, the 34-year-old from Chennai passed Garry Sobers and approached Ian Botham on the record books with a 106 of 148 balls against England.
It was Ashwin’s first three-figure score on the home patch, but it also marked the third time in his career that he took a five and scored a century in the same game. Sobers and South African off-roader Jacques Kallis did it twice, while Botham accomplished the feat five times. With this performance, Ashwin has moved into the pantheon of the greats.
But it wasn’t over for the day. He scalped starter Rory Burns when England, chasing an unlikely goal of 482, went 53 of three on the stumps. And with the release helping the spinners, the chances of Ashwin improving his flattering numbers on Day 4 are bright.
Indeed, from being a player who was not a regular player in the XI away from home even three years ago, Ashwin has become inescapable since the India tour of Australia that preceded this England series.
In the second test in progress, Ashwin showed the spinners of England how to bowl in a vaulter. On the third day, after India suffered a high-level collapse in the morning, he showed tourists how to hit on this surface without complaining about the conditions.
Ashwin with Kohli during Day 3 of the second India-England Test, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Monday. (BCCI / PTI)
He came to the fold with India at 106 for six in the second inning, and pattern Virat Kohli at the other end, with only the tail to go. England were trying to catch up but had some positive vibes after eliminating Cheteshwar Pujara, Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, Ajinkya Rahane and Axar Patel in quick succession.
But then Ashwin led the attack on the opposition. He swept Moeen Ali to mark his first limit. Three balls later, he did a reverse sweep of the spinning wheel for four more. Ashwin was ready to risk his arm, a calculated risk on a surface where capitalizing on any chance to score runs was crucial.
She hardly missed any punishable births. He made room against England’s fastest pitcher, Olly Stone, and played a tennis-like inside-out forehand to improve his half-century of just 64 balls. A stake of around 10,000 in Chepauk defended the boy of the house.
Later, he was entertained with chants of “Ashwin, Ashwin” when he reached his hundredth of 134 installments. His partner at the other end, Mohammed Siraj, was even more ecstatic. Ashwin had carried India forward and out of sight of England after Kohli left.
“I am thinking about how I will recover and sleep through the night. The last time I swept was when I was 19 years old and they pulled me out of First XI after leaving. I started practicing the sweep, ”Ashwin told Star Sports after the day’s game.
Crediting the hitting coach of India, he said: “Vikram Rathour has been helpful in exploring new options. I would love to give him credit for how I’ve played the bat in the last few months. I don’t know when I will play my next test here, but I am very happy ”.
Hopefully Ashwin has done enough to eliminate the perception of “flat / rotating track bully”. Just a month ago, he overcame excruciating pain for 190 minutes in Sydney to help India achieve a draw against Australia.
The 33 Ashwin wasn’t at Lord’s in 2018 was another example of him not throwing in the towel under tough conditions. In the same series, after Ali outbid him at bowling on a dry surface in Southampton, Ashwin found himself on the receiving end of some strong criticism. He had played the Test with a groin strain, when sitting would have been an easier option.
During the Australia series, Ashwin was India’s favorite bowler against Steve Smith even in sewing condition. He got the best of the Australian batting star with the pink ball in a green Adelaide Oval hood. He fired Smith with the new ball at the next test in Melbourne.
Today, Ashwin’s record spoke for him: 392 proving grounds and more than 2,600 races.
.
She is a freelance blogger, writer, and speaker, and writes for various entertainment magazines.