"If you have to counter-attack such bowlers, you don't give them wickets" - Pragyan Ojha on Ravichandran Ashwin's disparate returns in the two innings
Pragyan Ojha reckons Ravichandran Ashwin getting an early wicket made him a different bowler in England's second innings of the Visakhapatnam Test.
Ashwin went wicketless and conceded 61 runs in 12 overs in England's first-innings total of 253. The off-spinner registered figures of 3/72 in 18 overs in the second essay as India bowled the visitors out for 292 to complete a 106-run win on Monday to draw level in the five-match series.
During a discussion on Colors Cineplex, Ojha was asked about Ashwin's disparate returns in the two innings of the second Test. He responded:
"He was bowling in the same areas. He just changed his pace. His ball dips when he reduces his pace slightly. That is extremely important. I have been repeatedly saying that the key for Ashwin is that if he gets an early wicket, he doesn't rush."
"If a bowler doesn't rush and takes his time and carries so much experience with him, he becomes extremely lethal. If you have to counter-attack such bowlers, you don't give them wickets, you don't attack them," the former India spinner added.
Ashwin had Ben Duckett brilliantly caught by Srikar Bharat in his first over in England's second innings. He later dismissed Ollie Pope and Joe Root to complete his three-wicket haul.
"If such bowlers get wickets, they are settled" - Pragyan Ojha on Ravichandran Ashwin
![Ravichandran Ashwin is just one short of 500 Test wickets. [P/C: Getty]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/02/24a1b-17072061868535-1920.jpg?w=500)
Pragyan Ojha noted that bowlers like Ravichandran Ashwin get settled into a rhythm once they strike an early blow. He said:
"If such bowlers get wickets, they are settled. They know they have got what they need in the last column and can carry their game plan forward at ease, and that they don't have to go at 5G speed."
The cricketer-turned-commentator observed that the wily spinner seemed to be slightly desperate when he didn't get an early wicket in the first innings.
"As soon as he got a wicket, he was at ease. If you had seen his body language closely in the first innings, it was like nothing was happening, and that what should he do to make an impact on the game," Ojha stated.
Jasprit Bumrah (6/45) was the wrecker-in-chief in England's first innings and was ably supported by Kuldeep Yadav (3/71). The Gujarat seamer picked up three wickets in the second essay, just like Ashwin, and was duly chosen as the Player of the Match.