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Ravichandran Ashwin feels India ‘should wrap it up’ on day three after helping dominate New Zealand in the third Test.
Ravichandran Ashwin celebrates a wicket with Shubman Gill (AP)
Ravichandran Ashwin is hopeful that India can ‘wrap it up’ early on Sunday after helping the side claw back against New Zealand on day two of the third Test against India at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Saturday.
Ravindra Jadeja (4-52) and Ravichandran Ashwin (3-63) helped India reduce New Zealand to 171/9 in their second innings at the end of Day 2 in the third Test in Mumbai. New Zealand, who scored 235 in their first innings were leading by 143 runs after they rode on Ajaz Patel’s 5-103 to bowl out India for 263, restricting the hosts to only a 28-run lead.
“Hopefully not many, we should wrap it up with one or two runs here and there. Any runs saved in this innings is going to be much more critical. It’s not going to be easy, we’ll have to bat really well,” Ashwin told former teammate Dinesh Karthik in a snap interview for Jio Cinema.
What surprised Ashwin is the nature of low bounce, not exactly synonymous with red soil Mumbai surfaces which helps the ball to fly.
“Expected a lot more bounce. It has been quite slow which is a surprise. It’s not a typical Bombay pitch, much slower.”
On a crumbling pitch on which offered sharp turn and variable bounce, the spinners continued to rule the roost as they had another productive day.
After New Zealand had restricted India to 263 in their first innings and lead of just 28 runs despite contrasting half-centuries by Shubman Gill (90) and Rishabh Pant (60), the hosts roared back into contention thanks to Ashwin and Jadeja.
Akash Deep, opening the bowling, gave India the breakthrough once again by bowling Tom Latham for one as the ball nipped back in to sneak through the gap between the bat and pad.
Washing Sundar then accounted for Devon Conway (22) and Ashwin sent back Rachin Ravindra for 4 but Will Young and Daryl Mitchell, who had saved New Zealand in their first innings, raised a half-century partnership to keep New Zealand’s hopes alive.
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But Ashwin pulled off a brilliant catch off a skier, running a long distance to poach a diving catch from Ravindra Jadeja’s bowling, to dismiss Mitchell for 21 off 41 balls. New Zealand lost their fourth wicket with 94 runs on the board, just 66 runs ahead.
On his brilliant catch running 19 metres sideways to pouch in-from Daryl Mitchell, Ashwin said that he trusted his hands.
“For all the flak you’ve given me overs the years (to Karthik), I don’t think I’ve dropped many. I have got great hands and I trusted it. I was just telling myself that it’s going to anyway leave me, I wanted to get as close to the ball as possible,” he said.
Jadeja grabbed his seventh wicket of the match when he had Tim Blundell chopping onto his wicket with a full-length delivery that rushed onto the batter. He made it eight wickets for the match by sending back Ish Sodhi as India took control of the match.
Glenn Phillips struck Ashwin for a couple of sixes in an over but the seasoned off-spinner had the last laugh knocking back the off-stump with a sensational carrom ball that the batter failed to read and played the wrong line. Phillips scored 26 off 14 balls (1×4, 3×6) and New Zealand were down to 131/6.
Ashwin, India’s very own “bowling scientist” to many, explained why he used the carrom ball, the one bowled with a flick of two fingers which turns the other way round. The similar delivery got Glenn Phillips who didn’t read him from the hand.
“The game itself is divided into two halves. The one from the pavilion end and from the other end, it’s slightly behaving differently. It’s slightly flatter from the one where we are bowling from the dressing room side, the bounce is much lesser. So I thought I will try and use it the other way.
“The (NZ) batters are also knowing that it’s easier to take me on from this side. So I wanted to give something different,” he gave his reasons.
But Young kept their hopes alive with his second half-century of the match before spooning a catch back to Ashwin off another carrom ball tossed up which drifted towards the leg-stump. Young showed lots of patience as he scored 51 off 100 balls, hitting two fours and a six.
Matt Henry, who had scored one six over long-off on Jadeja’s bowling, was clean bowled by Jadeja on 10 runs following which stumps were called. Patel, batting on seven and new batter on the crease William ORourke will continue things on Day three as India look to register their first win of the series.
(With inputs from Agencies)
