[Watch] R Ashwin strikes in his first over to trap Tom Latham LBW in 2nd IND vs NZ 2024 TestÂ
Team India veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin delivered the first breakthrough for the hosts by dismissing New Zealand skipper Tom Latham in the second Test at the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) stadium in Pune. After a bleak outing in the series opener in Bengaluru, where he finished with only one wicket, the off-spinner needed only five deliveries to open his account this time.
The New Zealand openers looked at ease in the opening half-hour of play after Tom Latham opted to bat first. Jasprit Bumrah and Akash Deep could not get the new ball to talk, leading to spin being introduced in the eighth over.
With two left-handed batters at the crease, Ashwin always had a say. After a tight start, he finally got one to turn sharply, beating Tom Latham's defense. The New Zealand skipper tried to defend a delivery pitched on the leg-stump line, but the ball evaded the bat after turning and struck him on the pad.
The on-field umpire made a quick and easy decision as Latham trudged back without even considering a review.
Have a look at the dismissal right here:
Fellow right-arm off-spinner Washington Sundar has also been introduced into the attack. India will be hoping for more breakthroughs in this phase of play, with both spinners bowling in tandem, and the surface certainly assisting turn.
R Ashwin has dismissed Tom Latham nine times in Tests
The off-spinner has always relished bowling to left-handed batters, and Latham has had to bear the brunt of it for years now. During the 2017 tour of India, Ashwin dismissed Latham four times in the three-match series.
In 2021, Latham lost his wicket to Ashwin four times, including both innings of the World Test Championship (WTC) at the Rose Bowl. The New Zealand skipper was trapped LBW by Kuldeep Yadav in the first innings in Bengaluru and is enduring a poor series so far.
As of writing, New Zealand are placed at 45-1 after 13 overs, with Devon Conway and Will Young at the crease.