"A reminder that you don’t keep a great cricketer down" - Nasser Hussain hails Ravichandran Ashwin for game-changing spell on Day 3 of 4th Test
Former England captain Nasser Hussain praised off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin for his sensational spell in the second innings of the fourth Test at Ranchi.
The 37-year-old had struggled by his high standards thus far in the series, with only 12 wickets in seven innings and no five-wicket hauls. However, Ashwin put the questions about his form to bed with an incredible 35th five-wicket haul to turn around India's fortunes in the penultimate Test.
In his column for the Daily Mail after play on Day 3, Hussain wrote:
"People have been saying Ashwin has had a quiet series, but this game has been a reminder that you don’t keep a great cricketer down. Root proved as much in England’s first innings, and Ashwin underlined the point in their second. You could see the fire in his eyes when Rohit gave him the new ball: he was determined to stamp his class on the series. He even treated us to a carrom ball to get rid of Foakes."
Furthermore, Hussain credited skipper Rohit Sharma for opening the bowling with the veteran off-spinner.
"Rohit Sharma got it spot on when he opened the bowling with Ravichandran Ashwin, after delaying his entry for too long in the first innings at Rajkot. That allowed Duckett, who has struggled against Ashwin, to get off to a flyer, and Rohit wasn’t going to make that mistake again," wrote Hussain.
It was also Ashwin's 35th five-wicket haul in Tests, drawing him level with Anil Kumble for the most Test fifers by an Indian bowler.
His heroics helped bowl England out for a paltry 145 in the second innings, leaving India with a target of only 192 to take an unassailable 3-1 series lead.
"You can tell how much they wanted it here" - Nasser Hussain on the Indian side
Nasser Hussain praised the Indian outfit for their competitive spirit despite being without champion cricketers Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah.
Despite conceding 353 to the visitors in their first innings and struggling at 177/7, India displayed admirable resolve to bounce back on Day 3. The hosts narrowed the deficit to only 46 by adding 130 runs for the final three wickets and followed that up by bowling England out for 145 in their second innings.
"That’s what impresses me about this Indian team. You can have all the talent in the world, but unless you have that deep competitive instinct, that will to win, you risk coming up short. But even without the aggression of Virat Kohli, and the class of Jasprit Bumrah, you can tell how much they wanted it here," wrote Hussain.
Hussain added:
"Rohit cares deeply, even if he doesn’t always show it in the same way as Kohli, and on the third day India showed their character as well as their class. That’s one of the things I’ve enjoyed most in this series, from both sides: there has been a lot of character on show, and it’s made for gripping cricket."
Chasing 192 for victory, India raced to 40/0 in eight overs at stumps on Day 3, needing another 152 runs to seal the series.
Apart from Ashwin, wicket-keeper Dhruv Jurel, with a resilient 90, and Kuldeep Yadav, with 28 vital runs followed by a four-wicket haul, were India's other star performers.