Ravichandran Ashwin had a good start to his first home Test in 2024 as the veteran got rid of two England batters in the first session of the opening Test. The visiting team scored quick runs in the early overs, but the introduction of Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja put the brakes on the scoring pace.
Ben Duckett was the first to depart, as he was given LBW on Ashwin’s delivery. The batter scored 35 runs off 39 balls, with the help of 7 fours.
The new man, Ollie Poe, didn’t last long, with Ravindra Jadeja sending him back on a personal score of 1. Rohit Sharma took a brilliant catch.
Ashwin returned to give a third setback to England in the form of Zak Crawley, who accumulated 20 runs off 40 balls, laced with 3 fours.
Meanwhile, the off-spinner has completed 150 wickets in the history of the World Test Championship, and he is the third most successful bowler in the tournament.
Pat Cummins, the Australia skipper, leads the tally with 169 wickets. His teammate Nathan Lyon also has the same number of wickets. The third edition of the World Test Championship is underway, with England and Australia winning the first and second, respectively. India were the finalist on both occasions.
Most Wickets in World Test Championship
169 – Pat Cummins
169 – Nathan Lyon
150 – Ravichandran Ashwin
137 – Mitchell Starc
134 – Stuart Broad
Returning to Ashwin, he needs 8 more wickets to complete 500 scalps in Test cricket.
Bazball is exciting, says Ravichandran Ashwin
Ashwin has lauded England for their fearless approach in Test cricket. Their Bazball brand of cricket has reaped positive results, with England winning against solid teams. “England are playing exciting cricket, and I am looking forward to the series against them. They have succeeded with their new approach,” the off-spinner said on the occasion of the BCCI awards.
England have gone in with three frontline spinners in the first Test against the host nation. India have roped in Ashwin, Jadeja, and Axar Patel, with Kuldeep Yadav missing out.
Playing XIs
India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Srikar Bharat, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj,
England: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes (captain), Ben Foakes, Rehan Ahmed, Tom Hartley, Mark Wood, Jack Leach