Ravichandran Ashwin backed India to draw level in the fourth Test in Manchester.
Test Cricket can be heartbreaking. India fell short by a slender margin of 22 runs in the third Test at the Home of Cricket. In a Test match that swung like a pendulum, England managed to hold their nerve better than the Indians. As a result, the hosts now lead the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy by a margin of 2-1. The series will now shift to Manchester with the fourth Test scheduled to start from July 23. Shoaib Bashir is out of the series due to a finger injury. Liam Dawson has been called up as a replacement for the injured off-spinner. As for India, Rishabh Pant’s finger injury continues to be a cause of concern. He is expected to recover in time for the next Test. Ravichandran Ashwin recently took to his YouTube channel to speak about the third Test as well as where the series is headed.
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In his segment, ‘Ash ki Baat’, Ashwin spoke about various topics ranging from what went wrong for the visitors in the third Test to Ben Stokes’ fantastic captaincy, which led to England’s win. India commenced the final day of the Test with KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant at the crease. But they were soon reduced to 82/7, as the hosts piled misery on the Indians with three quick wickets. It was always going to be an uphill task. But in a game which seemed over by the stroke of lunch, Ravindra Jadeja’s resolute approach stood out. He was coupled well with Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj at the other end. The latter got out in an unlucky manner, and hence, it was curtains for India. Here’s what Ravichandran Ashwin had to say about the match and the series ahead.
First things first, what happened after the game ended was a victory for Test cricket. After Mohammed Siraj got dismissed in an unlucky manner, the English were pumped. They were celebrating like they never had. But during that chaos, Joe Root and Zak Crawley consoled Siraj. That was a moment that stood out in the game. It was a gone game for the Indians. Ravindra Jadeja pulled it back, with support from Jasprit Bumrah and Siraj. But it wasn’t enough in the end. This was a Test match in which both teams gave their everything, but it wasn’t enough for the visitors. England will head to Manchester, having dodged a massive bullet. On the other hand, India will try to shrug this loss off as early as possible.
Ravichandran Ashwin admired the way the Test was played by both teams. He stressed that the match became interesting to the point that he couldn’t switch his television off, even for a moment. After India were reduced to 82/7, the match looked gone. But the display put forth by Jadeja and the Indian tail made spectators keep their positions intact. Ashwin also went on to applaud the crowds that came in to watch the final day of the Test, which was played on a Monday. The fact that both teams made spectators stay and cheer for their teams speaks volumes about the kind of grit shown by both teams.
The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) off-spinner was all praises for the English skipper. Despite Stokes’ lack of form with the bat, the 34-year-old showed great resolve with the ball in hand. Stokes bowled a spell that consisted of 9.2 overs on the morning of Day 5, and his efforts are being lauded by a lot of experts. Ashwin also mentioned that he didn’t put a foot wrong in the Test. He also went on to mention that Stokes isn’t looking like himself in the batting department and lacks a bit of luck. But, he went on to state that this bowling performance might just be the cure needed for the English skipper, and he might turn up for the next game.
“Ben Stokes didn’t put a foot wrong. He isn’t looking at his fluent self and is lacking a bit of luck. If your decision-making is bad, cricketing gods will not allure you with luck. He put a marathon effort in bowling and didn’t give the ball away. Stokes will be right back. One has to earn the Luck, which he has now. He has turned up for the team when the team needed him the most.
In terms of captaincy, Ashwin was very clear in his thoughts about the English skipper. He stated that Stokes is the kind of captain who leads through performance. The all-rounder might not have the best of tactical acumen under his belt, but surely knows a thing or two about leading from the front. The way he kept bowling relentlessly showed how badly he wanted the win for his team. Ashwin also stated that Stokes was in a frame of mind where anything else doesn’t matter.
“There are two types of captains. One, with a strong technical acumen. The second type are the ones who can make the team walk on their path. Stokes falls in the second category. He set the field to tell India that if you want to score a run every over, and get it done in 70 overs, please go ahead, which was brilliant”, said Ashwin.
Ashwin backed his CSK teammate to the hilt. He stressed that Jadeja’s innings showed the Gen-Bold category of players how to bat time and show patience when it is required. Ashwin referred to the left-arm all-rounder’s innings as a masterclass. Jadeja’s resolute display of persistence brought India to the brink of victory. Speaking on the narrative about Jadeja taking attacking chances, Ashwin stated that he clearly understood and agreed to the narrative. But he also had very interesting questions to ask the experts who blamed Jadeja for not taking an aggressive approach.
“Jadeja must be hurting. He was fabulous. Hats off to him for playing the innings he did. Agreed, he should have taken more risks. But look at the options he had. How many times did batters go down the ground and hit the ball into the dressing room? They couldn’t do that because of the bounce and pace of the wicket. All fielders were on the boundary. Stokes, Jadeja, Bumrah, and Siraj were all ready to play the long, hard-fought game”, said Ashwin on his YouTube channel.
According to Ashwin’s analysis, India are still placed as the better side. But what raised a question was the fact that, despite the visitors being the better side, England have taken a 2-1 lead in the series. Ashwin opened by stating the difference in the bowling attacks. He also went on to say that until Gus Atkinson and Mark Wood come back into the side, England’s bowling attack will lack the zeal. They need to cover that gap by providing pitches with some assistance. Ashwin also credited Stokes for his decision to bowl Archer before Brydon Carse on the morning of Day 5. Archer possesses a stunning record against left-handers, which Stokes wanted to exploit against Rishabh Pant and Washington Sundar.
“There is a stark difference in both bowling attacks. India’s bowling is keeping India in the game. India’s batting is splendid, but England is not bowling that well. England had one bowler going into the game, who was Stokes. Carse turning up to the party along with Archer was a matter of destiny and luck. India is in a far better position to tie this series, come the 4th Test.”
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There’s a simple, unsaid formula in Test cricket. The team winning the most sessions in a Test match will win the Test. This logic was somehow defied in England’s emphatic victory in the third Test at Lord’s. India won more sessions than their counterparts, but still ended on the losing side. Ashwin stated that even though India won more sessions in the match, England thrived under pressure. Ben Stokes and Co. were much better in handling pressure situations, and that is where they had an edge over the visitors. Moreover, the off-spinner went on to state that England isn’t winning on skill, whereas India is losing because of not capitalising on pressure situations.
“England is playing poor cricket. They are not winning on skill. India is losing under pressure. England don’t have the skill to match this Indian side. India’s decision-making hasn’t been the greatest under pressure. Try to win pressure moments. England are doing much better under pressure. Think about Harry Brook’s wicket had England lost this Test”, said Ashwin.
The former Indian off-spinner still believes that India can bounce back in the fourth Test. He stated that everything is aligned in India’s favour. They have been scoring runs and also have been taking wickets. Moreover, the pitch at Manchester tends to spin, which will give an advantage to the Indians. The only point India will have to think about is including Kuldeep Yadav at some point in time. He stated that the visitors are playing quality cricket and urged them to be aggressive in their approach. He went on to mention that if the wicket in Manchester does not have grass, it will spin.
“India has made runs. The bowlers have looked a million dollars. There will be some bounce in Manchester and Washi [Washington Sundar] has played for Lancashire. India will have to think about including Kuldeep Yadav at some point. Can the team go one batter light?” Ashwin mentioned.
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