Ravichandran Ashwin vs Shoaib Bashir: Story behind two fifers in India vs England 4th Test
India vs England 4th Test: Fourth India vs England Test match in Ranchi turned on its head on Sunday as India's star spinner Ravichandran Ashwin (5/51) delivered an exceptional spell to not only clinch 350 Test wickets at home but also bring India on the door of a series victory. While Ravichandran Ashwin ruled Day 3, England's young pacer Shoaib Bashir impressed with his maiden five-wicket haul, as he dismissed some of the best batters in the world. Everyone knew that the pitch of Ranchi would support the spinners and provide them with extra turns to trap the batters.
But, Ravichandran Ashwin and Shoaib Bashir took it to another level as they used the ‘pitch fear’ in batters to bluff them and clinched wickets on some full-length deliveries. When Shoaib Bashir picked the ball on Day 2, England was in a comfortable position, all thanks to Joe Root's century. The rookie spinner took his time to understand the pitch conditions before using it to destroy India's batting order.
He started with India's star youngster Shubman Gill (38), who had the potential to be extremely dangerous. Without giving much time to the Indian team, Shoaib Bashir took out newcomer Rajat Patidar (17) and Ravindra Jadeja (12) in quick succession and palpable tension was visible in the Indian camp. Then came Shoaib Bashir's biggest wicket of the day as he dismissed India's opener Yashasvi Jaiswal (73), who was coming from back-to-back double centuries at Vizag and Rajkot.
Read more on livemint.com
