"You feel pity for Ashwin at times" - Aakash Chopra on Ravindra Jadeja running through Australia from other end
Aakash Chopra has said that he has empathy for Ravichandran Ashwin after Ravindra Jadeja ran through the Australian batting lineup.
Jadeja registered figures of 7-42 as Australia were skittled out for a paltry 113 in their second innings of the second Test against India in Delhi on Sunday (February 19). Ashwin, who was operating from the opposite end, picked up the other three Australian wickets to fall.
While reviewing the game in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra highlighted that Ashwin couldn't pick up more wickets due to Jadeja's penetrative spell from the other end, elaborating:
"Ashwin bowled well once again. You feel pity for Ashwin at times. The guy was bowling so well, but before anything could happen, the players get out from the other end. Ravindra Jadeja comes and demolishes them."
The cricketer-turned-commentator joked that Axar Patel might also be wondering if he was playing as a specialist batter, observing:
"Ravindra Jadeja is absolutely unstoppable - seven wickets in this innings, three wickets in the first innings, ten wickets in the game and also some runs. If we see a scorecard like that, Axar Patel asks if he is playing as a batter in this series."
Chopra added that Mohammad Shami and Mohammed Siraj were also like bystanders during India's second innings bowling effort:
"He bowled just one over, gave away two runs and didn't get a wicket. It was an over he bowled last evening. Shami bowled two overs, and Siraj is asking if he should leave the job, then why are you playing him? This is just embarrassing if we see the Australian point of view."
Ashwin operated from one end throughout Australia's second innings. Shami was given two overs with the new ball on Saturday before Jadeja was also almost solely bowled from the other end, barring an over from Axar.
"The match actually changed with Axar Patel's knock" - Aakash Chopra
Chopra concluded by pointing out that while Jadeja's spell might stay in memory, it was Axar Patel's knock that changed the course of the game, reasoning:
"I will say one more thing - whatever happens in the end remains in your memory. The match actually changed with Axar Patel's knock. If that 114-run partnership with Ravichandran Ashwin had not happened, the lead might have been 100-odd, and we wouldn't have been able to chase 200 on this surface, with the way we are batting."
Outstanding Knock from Axar Patel - He came when India was 139/7 and he scored 74 runs from 115 balls against Australia in difficult situation, fine innings from Axar! https://t.co/37nPhAHpb6
Axar (74) and Ashwin (37) strung together a 114-run eighth-wicket partnership to allow Australia just a one-run first-innings lead. The solitary-run first-innings deficit ensured that Rohit Sharma and Co. had to chase only 114 in the fourth innings, which they achieved with six wickets to spare.