[Watch] Ravichandran Ashwin strikes on comeback with Marnus Labuschagne's freak dismissal during IND vs AUS 1st ODI

Veteran Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin got rewarded for his tight second spell against Australia in Mohali with the wicket of Marnus Labuschagne in the first ODI on Friday, September 22.

One can argue that it was a rather lucky dismissal, but Ashwin forced Labuschagne to play the false shot by creating pressure with some tight bowling. The right-hander tried to play a reverse sweep, but couldn't get the desired contact he wanted.

The ball hit wicketkeeper KL Rahul's pads and was deflected back onto the stumps. Replays showed that Marnus Labuschagne's boot was on the line when the bails were dislodged and he had to make the long walk back to the pavilion. The wicket also was a reward for the tight spell Ravichandran Ashwin had bowled.

Here's a video of the dismissal:

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Ravichandran Ashwin was quite impressive on his ODI return

All eyes were on how Ravichandran Ashwin would perform on his ODI comeback as he was playing his first one-day game since January 2022. Quite a few eyebrows were raised on his selection and that certainly could have been added pressure on him.

The veteran off-spinner seemed a bit nervous at first, conceding 36 runs in his first six overs. However, he came back really well in the final phase of his bowling, giving away just 11 runs in his remaining four overs to end with figures of 1/47. He did get the drift and the batters found it difficult to get their big shots in.

At the time of writing, Australia have just crossed the 200-run mark with eight overs to go in their innings and will be keen to get as close to 300 as possible. Josh Inglis has got his eye in and Marcus Stoinis has already got a flurry of boundaries under his belt. It will be a stern test for the Indian bowlers to restrict them below 280.

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