Birthday special: Top 5 spells of Ravichandran Ashwin in Test cricket
Ravichandran Ashwin has established himself as a go-to man in the longest format of the game for India, and he has deservingly been included in the Test team of the last decade listed out by veteran cricketers. Ashwin picked up 564 wickets in the last decade and owing to his performances, has attained an enormous status amongst the fans. He has many notable performances to his credit especially in the whites for India. Let us take a look at five of his best spells in Test cricket as he turns 34 today-
Delhi, 2011
Ashwin had put his skill on wide display against West Indies in his very first Test match in 2011 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi. He beautifully mixed his deliveries and the opposing batsmen were left clueless in their 2nd innings. Though the ball was not turning square, he managed to pick 6-47 with his superb variations in bowling and India won by 5 wickets. His performance left a mark straight away which helped him achieve his first Man of The Match award on debut.
Galle, 2015
A gem of a spell came from Ashwin against Sri Lanka in the first test at Galle where Sri Lanka decided to bat after winning the toss but tumbled for 183 runs in under 50 overs in the 1st innings. Ashwin was the key bowler as he bagged 6 wickets for just 46 runs. The conditions were assistive for turners, however, Sri Lanka had a bunch of players who were brilliant tacklers of spin. Despite that, Ashwin bagged the majority of the wickets.
Centurion, 2018
After going wicketless in his previous tour of South Africa in 2013, Ashwin superbly turned the things in his favour on his next tour. In the first innings of the second Test at Centurion, Ashwin rattled the South African batting line up with his wily variations. He finished with the figures of 4/113 against South Africa at Centurion. Though India eventually lost the match by 135 runs, Ashwin’s magnificent spell on a green-top left a statement that he was not just a subcontinental specialist.
Edgbaston, 2018
In the first Test of India’s tour of England in 2018, Ashwin proved his credentials yet again, in the very first innings of the match. Right at the start of his spell, he castled Alastair Cook as the ball just about went past Cook’s attempted defence and dislodged the bails. Ashwin then went on to remove Jos Buttler and then returned to trap Stuart Broad in front for his fourth wicket. He finished the innings with 4 for 62.
Adelaide, 2018
In one of India’s most memorable Test series victories of all time, Ashwin played a pivotal role in the team’s win in the first Test match in Adelaide, helping them take a 1-0 lead. Ashwin ran through the hosts’ middle order to ensure that the Aussies were crippled beyond recovery. He was rewarded for his persistence and he went onto dismiss Marcus Harris, Shaun Marsh, and Josh Hazlewood en route to his 3/57.
