"Undeniably the GOAT of Indian bowling"- Fans hail Ravichandran Ashwin after nine-wicket haul in his 100th Test against England in Dharamshala
Veteran Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin made his 100th Test memorable by picking up nine wickets across both innings. His performance played a crucial role in India winning the 5th Test against England by an innings and 64 runs in Dharamshala on Saturday (March 9).
Ashwin ran through the English lower order in the first innings on day one by scalping the last four wickets. The 37-year-old spinner then got a chance to bowl with the new ball in the second innings on Saturday. Ashwin made an impact by triggering a top-order collapse, dismissing Ben Duckett (2), Zak Crawley (0), and Ollie Pope (19) inside ten overs.
Jonny Bairstow then tried to transfer the pressure back to the bowlers and hit a couple of boundaries against Ashwin, taking him out of the attack. The ace off-spinner came into the attack after a break following Bairstow's departure and stuck twice in quick succession, cleaning up Ben Stokes and Ben Foakes to bag his 36th five-wicket haul, the most for an Indian in Tests.
Jasprit Bumrah and Co. then wrapped up the tail to power the hosts to an innings victory.
Ravichandran Ashwin ended the series as the leading wicket-taker with 26 wickets from 5 games, at an average of 24.81, including two 5-wicket hauls. Fans were elated to witness yet another starring performance from the veteran off-spinner for India in Tests and heaped praise on him through X.
Here are some of the reactions on his performance:
"I can't really put a wrap around how I'm feeling right now"- Ravichandran Ashwin after a special performance in his 100th Test
Speaking after the conclusion of the 5th Test, Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin reflected on his milestone Test match, saying:
"Very happy, I can't really put a wrap around how I'm feeling right now, lot of things happened in the last few weeks, lot of greats wished me and the media as well, overwhelmed and I've been amongst the wickets, that's all I can ask for. Through the series, I've gone to different speeds, different actions, in India you need to different skill set and it was worked out very well in this test match for me."
He continued:
"Most pleased with this performance and the second innings in Ranchi. In India sometimes, the beauty is what's gone by, was playing the head, the new ball was biting off the surface, one good spell that I went through this morning. Firstly, like I said, I'm a bit insecure about what others think about me, I've kept my ears and eyes open, taken both things really well, doesn't matter it's negative or positive, don't want to hold back."
What was your favorite spell of Ravichandran Ashwin in this 5-match Test series against England? Let us know in the comments section below.