Ashwin required only 12 deliveries and on the penultimate ball of his third over, he dismantled Chanderpaul's stumps
Ravichandran Ashwin achieved an incredible feat on the first day of the opening Test of the two-match series against West Indies at Windsor Park in Dominica on Wednesday. India, after losing the toss and being asked to field, showcased their potent pace attack, causing trouble for the Windies batters with consistent line and length bowling.
Despite the relentless efforts of Mohammed Siraj and Jaydev Unadkat, the breakthrough eluded them. Rohit Sharma then turned to Ashwin, who immediately found his rhythm. After being absent from the World Test Championship final against Australia, there were debates about the decision not to include Ashwin. However, the 36-year-old spinner proved his worth.
With his trademark loop and grip, Ashwin started to weave his magic. Tagenarine Chanderpaul looked uncertain at the crease, struggling to decide whether to adopt an aggressive or defensive approach. Ashwin required only 12 deliveries, and on the penultimate ball of his third over, he dismantled Chanderpaul’s stumps.
Let’s rewind the clock 12 years to Delhi, where Ashwin made his debut.
Despite facing veteran Shivnarine Chanderpaul, the father of Tagenarine, Ashwin showcased his talent and claimed the player of the match award in his first Test. His prize scalp was none other than Chanderpaul senior, trapping him leg before wicket.
When nothing happened, we ‘turned’ to Ashwin!
..#INDvWIonFanCode #WIvIND pic.twitter.com/wwPuS1QZG2
— FanCode (@FanCode) July 12, 2023
Notably, Ashwin surpassed the legendary spin bowler Anil Kumble on Wednesday as the Indian bowler with the most bowled dismissals in Test cricket. Ashwin claimed his 95th wicket, surpassing Kumble’s tally of 94. Kapil Dev follows with 88 and Mohammed Shami ranks third with 66.
ALSO READ: Brendon McCullum’s horse named after England Test skipper Ben Stokes to make racing debut
Ashwin continued his dominance by dismissing Windies captain Carlos Brathwaite. He bowled a full delivery, inducing a miscued shot from Brathwaite that had a leading edge and landed straight into the hands of skipper Rohit Sharma.
For more updates, follow CricXtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
