[Watch] Ravichandran Ashwin takes six wickets for Surrey against Somerset
Seasoned Team India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin claimed brilliant figures of 6 for 27 in 15 overs for Surrey against Somerset at The Oval on Wednesday.
Ashwin’s performance came in the second innings of his debut for Surrey in the four-day county match as Somerset were rolled over for 69 in 21 overs.
Ashwin had Steven Davies caught behind for 7 and Tom Lammonby caught by the slip fielder for 3 as the batter attempted a dangerous reverse sweep. The off-spinner then trapped Somerset skipper James Hildreth (14) lbw as the batter missed one while playing on the back foot and was caught in front of the stumps.
Ashwin next bowled George Bartlett for 12 with one that spun back in sharply as Bartlett left the ball. The experienced Indian bowler completed a five-for when he had Roelof van der Merwe lbw for 7. Ashwin made it six for the innings when he bowled Ben Green for 3.
Ashwin had managed only one wicket in Somerset’s first innings. He bowled 43 overs and gave away 99 runs for a solitary scalp.
Somerset scored 429 in the first innings, batting first, as skipper James Hildreth hit 107. Surrey managed only 240 in response in 114.1 overs. Openers Mark Stoneman and Rory Burns were Surrey’s best batters with 67 and 50 respectively. Ashwin was dismissed for a first-ball duck. For Somerset, Jack Leach claimed six wickets and Roelof van der Merwe four.
Surrey were set a target of 259 for victory on the final day of the match against Somerset. They were 79/3 at Tea, with a minimum of 31 overs remaining in the day’s play.
L Sivaramakrishnan wants Ravichandran Ashwin to be considered for limited-overs matches again
Former India leg-spinner L Sivaramakrishnan feels that Ravichandran Ashwin should not be viewed as just a Test specialist but must be considered for India’s white-ball squads as well. Ashwin has not played limited-overs matches for India since 2017. In a press conference arranged by Sony Network, Sivaramakrishnan opined:
“Yes, he is one of the outstanding bowlers we’ve had in the last few years. His experience will definitely help. He bowls very well to left handers. He’s not a slouch on the field, he can field reasonably well and is a safe catcher. He has worked hard on his fielding and fitness. He should be considered in my opinion. If there are a lot of left handers in the opposition, you want your best offspinner to be bowling to them. If Ashwin has a good IPL in UAE, he should be considered."
Ashwin will next be seen in action during India’s five-match Test series against England, which will begin with the first match in Nottingham from August 4.