Former skipper Virat Kohli, too, joined the party, hitting 76 as India declared their innings on 421/5. Ashwin & Co. took over from there, bowling out the hosts for only 130 in the second innings.
Former India wicketkeeper Saba Karim, who is now an expert with JioCinema, praised Ashwin’s efforts, saying: “He is always willing to learn and that is what is remarkable about R Ashwin. Even in this game, you would have noticed that he was able to gauge the weakness of the batters quickly and then he went around trying to set them up. You could see him change the angle accordingly.”
Ashwin has been playing on the international circuit for over a decade, and Karim is fascinated by his willingness to bring about new dimensions to his game. “As an off spin bowler he keeps adding so many new things to his armoury and I feel that there is a lot for the young spinners to learn from him,” he said.
Ashwin was not part of the team that played the World Test Championships final against Australia recently, and another expert Pragyan Ojha believes this is the best possible riposte that the spinner could have come up with. He said: “When champion players are not given what they want they will show it in a different way. The best part is when he got his chance in the very next game, he comes and takes 12 wickets and shows why he is the No. 1 spinner. This is the best way to prove yourself rather than talking.”
Meanwhile, Yashasvi Jaiswal made a massive impression in this game and grabbed his chance with both hands.
Speaking about his performance, Karim said: “The fact that he played on all three days, he played through different conditions of the surface here, in different scenarios, in different phases, and he batted in such an accomplished manner and that’s what you would love to see in a young batter and it seems he had come well prepared for a Test match like this.”
–Ajit Weekly News
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