India flip the script: Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Dhruv Jurel shine as hosts sniff series victory
RANCHI, February 25
Spin twins Ravichandran Ashwin and Kuldeep Yadav combined to rout England in their second innings and put India on course for a series-clinching victory in the fourth Test here today.
Off-spinner Ashwin (5/51) and left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep (4/22) shared nine wickets on a turning track to bundle out England for 145 inside two sessions.
Chasing 192 for a victory that would fetch them an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series, India cruised to 40/0 at stumps on Day 3. Skipper Rohit Sharma (24) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (16) have looked unperturbed on a pitch where the ball spun sharply and stayed low occasionally.
Earlier, when action resumed today, Dhruv Jurel (90) led a spirited rearguard action to rescue India, who posted 307 all out in reply to England’s first innings 353.
Jurel combined in a 76-run partnership with Kuldeep (28), whose 131-ball vigil was the longest in his Test career.
Jurel smashed four sixes and six fours in his knock but fell short of a hundred when Tom Hartley (3/68) bowled him. Off-spinner Shoaib Bashir (5/119) claimed his first five-wicket haul in Test cricket.
A lead of 46 was much lower than England probably had expected having reduced India to 177/7 before the hosts roared right back into the contest after Ashwin’s triple strikes. The off-spinner had Ben Duckett caught short-leg for 15 and trapped Ollie Pope lbw with his next delivery. Pope fell for his second duck in the match. While Ashwin could not complete a hat-trick, he got the important wicket of Joe Root (11) lbw.
Root, who made a classy century in the first innings, was initially adjudged not out, but Ashwin coaxed his captain Rohit Sharma into challenging the decision. The hosts were rewarded when replays confirmed the ball would have gone on to hit the stump.
Opener Zak Crawley smashed seven fours in his 60 before losing his middle stump to Kuldeep. The spinner struck another telling blow when he had Ben Stokes bowled for four before the tea break. The England captain missed the ball, which hit his pad before spinning back between his legs and went on to hit the stumps.
Jonny Bairstow (30) fell off the first ball after the tea break and Kuldeep dismissed Hartley and Ollie Robinson in the same over to pin England on the mat.
Ashwin went on to dismiss Ben Foakes and Anderson in the same over as England lost their last six wickets for 25 runs in a remarkable meltdown.
“I’ve enjoyed bowling with the new ball and today was one of those days where Rohit asked in the huddle who wants to start and I put my hand up,” said Ashwin, who opened the attack for India, while also heaping praise on Kuldeep.
“We all know how many revs he can put on the ball and what skills he’s got, but when you can change up the pace and the trajectory, he’s double the bowler he is,” he added. — Reuters
Enjoying every moment with team: Ashwin
Ranchi: Legendary batter Sunil Gavaskar today suggested that India captain Rohit Sharma should allow Ravichandran Ashwin to lead the team out on the field in the final Test in Dharamsala to honour the senior off-spinner in his milestone 100th match. “India win tomorrow, and you go to Dharamshala (for fifth and final Test), I just hope that Rohit allows you to lead the team out to the field. That’ll be a wonderful gesture, honour for all that you have done for Indian cricket,” Gavaskar said while speaking to Ashwin after the end of the third day’s play. To that, Ashwin replied he would be happy if his presence in the team lasts longer. “You are being too generous. However, expectations about all these things, I think I am well past all that. But genuinely saying, I am enjoying every single moment I am being with this team,” Ashwin said. “The longer it lasts, I will be happy.”
Ashwin said that winning a Test still felt “surreal”. “You can pick all the wickets you want but it’s nothing without the team winning. It is the best thing that can happen to a cricketer. Win a Test after four-five days, the feeling is surreal. I would like to have that feeling tomorrow. Rohit (Sharma) and (Yashasvi) Jaiswal started very well and hopefully they can carry on that tomorrow,” he said.
Scoreboard
England 1st Innings 353
India 1st Innings (overnight 219/7)
Y Jaiswal b Bashir 73
R Sharma c Foakes b Anderson 2
S Gill lbw b Bashir 38
R Patidar lbw b Bashir 17
R Jadeja c Pope b Bashir 12
S Khan c Root b Hartley 14
D Jurel b Hartley 90
R Ashwin lbw b Hartley 1
K Yadav b Anderson 28
Akash Deep lbw b Bashir 9
M Siraj not out 0
Extras: (b 12, lb 5, nb 6) 23
Total: (all out, 103.2 overs) 307
FOW: 1-4, 2-86, 3-112, 4-130, 5-161, 6-171, 7-177, 8-253, 9-293
Bowling O M R W
James Anderson 18 4 48 2
Ollie Robinson 13 0 54 0
Shoaib Bashir 44 8 119 5
Tom Hartley 27.2 6 68 3
Joe Root 1 0 1 0
England 2nd Innings
Z Crawley b Yadav 60
B Duckett c Khan b Ashwin 15
O Pope lbw b Ashwin 0
J Root lbw b Ashwin 11
J Bairstow c Patidar b Jadeja 30
B Stokes b Yadav 4
B Foakes c & b Ashwin 17
T Hartley c Khan b Yadav 7
O Robinson lbw b Yadav 0
S Bashir not out 1
J Anderson c Jurel b Ashwin 0
Extras: 0
Total: (all out, 53.5 overs) 145
FOW: 1-19, 2-19, 3-65, 4-110, 5-120, 6-120, 7-133, 8-133, 9-145
Bowling O M R W
Ravichandran Ashwin 15.5 0 51 5
Ravindra Jadeja 20 5 56 1
Mohammed Siraj 3 0 16 0
Kuldeep Yadav 15 2 22 4
India 2nd Innings
R Sharma not out 24
Y Jaiswal not out 16
Extras: 0
Total: (no loss, 8 overs) 40
FOW:
Bowling O M R W
Joe Root 4 0 17 0
Tom Hartley 3 0 22 0
Shoaib Bashir 1 0 1 0
