3 times Ravichandran Ashwin saved India with the bat in Tests
Ravichandran Ashwin proved to be India's best performer in their three-wicket win in the second Test over Bangladesh on Sunday (December 25). The 36-year-old first took six wickets with his wily off-spin across the two innings before coming up with a match-winning knock of 42* off 62 balls to take India home.
With three wickets in hand, Team India needed 71 runs to win the game after losing three wickets in the first hour. The local crowd had already begun to rejoice at the prospect of a far-sighted victory, but Shreyas Iyer (29*) and Ashwin dashed their hopes with an unbeaten stand of 71 runs.
Ashwin to the rescue. 🔥😎
#Cricket #CricketTwitter #INDvsBAN #INDvsBangladesh #TestCricket #CricketAustralia #BoxingDay2022 https://t.co/LPcArmE4ew
However, this wasn't the first time Ashwin bailed India out of trouble in a Test match. On several occasions, he has come up with clutch knocks that have not only helped India's cause but have solidified his ever-growing status as a complete all-rounder in red-ball cricket.
On that note, let's take a look at the top three instances when Ravichandran Ashwin saved Team India with the bat in Tests.
#3 124 off 210 vs West Indies in Kolkata in 2013
On This Day in 2013, @ashwinravi99 scored his maiden test century against West Indies at Eden Gardens #ThrowBack #IdhuNeruppuda 🔥
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Four of Ravichandran Ashwin's five Test centuries have come against the West Indies, which is a testament to the fact that the Tamil Nadu player loves playing their bowling attack. Ashwin's maiden Test ton, which also came against the Caribbean unit, was an extremely special one given it came when the chips were down for India.
West Indies made 234 in their first innings at Eden Gardens before putting India in dire straits when they reduced the hosts to 156/6. Rohit Sharma, who was making his debut, was joined by Ravichandran Ashwin and together, the pair sent the West Indies bowling attack on a real leather hunt.
Both Rohit and Ashwin got to their respective centuries and in the process stitched together a partnership of 280 runs to put India firmly in the driver's seat.
While Rohit was out on 177, Ashwin took his maiden Test ton to 124, which included 11 boundaries. His 124 still remains the third-highest individual score by an Indian while batting at No. 8 or below. Due to the brilliant efforts by Rohit and Ashwin, India took a first-innings lead of 214 runs.
West Indies were bundled out for 168 in their second innings, as India won the match by an innings and 51 runs.
#2 39* off 128 vs Australia in Sydney in 2021
#ThisDayLastYear, @Hanumavihari (23* off 161) and @ashwinravi99 (39* off 128) put up a rock-solid defence on Day 5 to help #TeamIndia draw the Sydney Test against Australia!
#OnThisDay #AUSvIND https://t.co/k9AguuQBU6
Perhaps India's most celebrated and heartwarming series win in recent times saw Ravichandran Ashwin and Hanuma Vihari bat their skins out in the third Test in Sydney. Their courageous and valiant efforts saw India salvage a draw to keep the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series alive.
On the back of Steve Smith's 212 runs across two innings, the hosts set a 407-run target for an injury-hit Indian team. With India at 98/2, Australia started as favorites to win the Sydney Test on the final day. They dismissed Indian stand-in captain Ajinkya Rahane early on as well.
Rishabh Pant then launched a counter-attack and scored 97 runs off 112 balls. Although he could not complete his second Test hundred in Australia, Pant turned the game in his side's favor. Cheteshwar Pujara also completed his half-century and India were in the hunt for an improbable win.
However, as Ravindra Jadeja was injured and Hanuma Vihari was also struggling with a hamstring issue, India decided to play for a draw. That's when Vihari and Ashwin held their fort and came out as the heroes for the visitors.
Against the likes of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon, the pair battled out for more than 42 overs. They recorded an unbeaten 62 off 259 deliveries to help the Indian team draw the iconic Test and keep the series level at 1-1.
Despite struggling with back pain which even caused him discomfort during the lunch and tea break, Ashwin faced the heat from the Aussie attack and batted for 128 balls during his 39*. Vihari too displayed his hard-rock temperament during his unbeaten knock of 23 off 169 balls.
#1 42* off 62 vs Bangladesh in Dhaka in 2022
Ravichandran Ashwin has played an important role in two incredible victories for India in 2022 🤩🇮🇳
Clutch! 🔑
#BANvIND #INDvPAK #India #TeamIndia #CricketTwitter https://t.co/5UriA116vE
Ashwin once again showed his character and rescued India from a precarious situation when he played a clutch knock in the recent second Test against Bangladesh in Mirpur, Dhaka on Sunday (December 25).
With a target of 145 runs on a tricky surface, which was doing enough for the Bangladeshi tweakers to spin their magic, Team India endured a rocky start. They lost their entire top-order inside just 37 runs.
The next morning, the KL Rahul-led unit were reduced to 74/7 with Pant also back in the hunt. The hosts were on the verge of a famous win while India were looking down at the barrel of a gun.
Against the Bangladeshi spinners, including Mehidy Hasan Miraz, who already took a fifer in his first 12 overs, Ashwin joined forces with Shreyas Iyer to ride out the storm.
The two Indians showed great vigor and dealt the opposition bowlers with caution in the first few overs. With solid defense and some watchful batting, Ashwin and Iyer frustrated the Bangla bowlers.
The pair started to get closer to the target and played some attacking strokes. While Iyer placed four boundaries in a space of three overs, Ashwin clobbered four boundaries and a six. The all-rounder finished things off in style when he smashed Mehidy Hasan to 16 runs, which proved to be the last over of the game.
Ashwin was awarded the Man of the Match award for his batting performance on Day 4 while also picking up six wickets over the course of the two Bangladesh innings.