Ravichandran Ashwin & Adil Rashid. Pic Credits: X

IND vs ENG : Ravichandran Ashwin In Awe Of Adil Rashid’s Spin Masterclass Against India In The 3rd T20I At Rajkot

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Former Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin was highly impressed by England’s Adil Rashid after his stunning delivery in Rajkot. The 37-year-old leg-spinner played a key role in England’s 26-run victory over India at Niranjan Shah Stadium on January 28. Adil Rashid took the wicket of Tilak Varma in the eighth over of India’s chase with a brilliant delivery that hit the stumps.

The third T20I between India and England saw the visitors bat first at the Niranjan Shah Stadium and set a total of 172. India’s chase didn’t have the best start as both openers Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma were dismissed inside the powerplay. Following Suryakumar Yadav’s wicket, the host side’s innings just went downhill with Adil Rashid making the batters fight hard for the runs. In his four-over spell, the Englishman gave away just 15 runs to seal a much-needed victory for the Jos Buttler-led side.

Adil Rashid’s pyrotechnics with the ball over shadows Varun Chakravarthy’s 5-fer at Rajkot

Adil Rashid doesn’t exude wonderment. A man of mild manners, stifled celebrations, with no tattoos blaring from his sleeves, he operates in incognito mode. His presence is so inconspicuous — no tantrums or strut — that he is noticed when he breaks into a stroll disguised as his four-step run-up. But he is arguably the finest white-ball spinner his country ever owned. More remarkably, he is one of the handful who possess the leg-break

Hardik Pandya and Tilak Varma handled the situation calmly, but the Indian batters too were put to test against Adil Rashid’s spin. With turn on offer in the surface, the leggie used his variations in pace to excellent effect. Varma was undone by a sharply turning legbreak that beat him on the inside edge and cleaned him up in the ninth over.

Most leg-spinners in the T20-multiverse trade in wrong ’uns and sliders. So much so that the away-spinner is a rare change-up even for left-arm spinners, whose currency is the armer. The Indian leg-spin duo of Ravi Bishnoi and Varun is a classic example of leg-spinners, by natural instinct, breaking the ball into the right-handed batsman. Rashid, however, is a throwback. Not that he is averse to wrong ’uns or sliders — he judiciously unlocks his variations — but in his pliant wrists, the leg-break has rediscovered itself in this format.

He uncorked a pearler to eject Tilak Varma, unconquered in his last four outings. The ball, generously imparted with revolutions, drifted away from the left-hander. The scrambled seam, and the pace (82.7 kph), misinformed Varma that the ball would slide away. He plunged on to his backfoot, shaping to slap the ball in front of square. But after landing, the ball took a drunken reroute. It barked back and slipped through Varma’s late retaliatory measures to disarray his stumps.

Varma wore a petrified look, as it required a near-unplayable ball to break his run meditation. The ball had gripped and turned more than any other on the day (5.7 degrees). The pitch was not a turner either, more sluggish and low in nature.

The wicket, with the score on 68 for 4, filled England with hope. Soon, it transformed into belief when India stumbled to 123 for 6, and 131 for 7 when Pandya departed. But Tilak’s wicket was the game’s mood-drifter.

If Tilak, India’s most prolific T20 batsman in recent times, could not fathom Rashid, what of the rest? The leggie ended the night with barely believable figures of 4-0-15-1. No fours or sixes, 10 dot balls, numerous edges and near stump-shaves, his efforts not only gave England a toe-hold into the game, but also illustrated that there is space for leg-breaking leg-spinners in this format. This was not a one-off — India’s high-flying batsmen have managed only 56 runs in his 10 overs this series.

The neutrals, though, would purr over two contrastingly exciting leg-spinners. The new-age one in Varun Chakravarthy, whose five-for went futile, and the anachronism that is Adil Rashid, whose one-wicket burst proved more decisive to the game’s outcome. Both have ample tricks up their sleeve, have common threads too, but use their gifts in distinct ways to achieve the same end of picking wickets and winning matches.

Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was in all praise of England’s leg break Adil Rashid for the peach of a delivery he produced to dismiss in-form Tilak Varma during the third T20I in Rajkot.

Ravichandran Ashwin In Awe Of Adil Rashid’s Spin Masterclass Against India in the 3rd T20I at Rajkot

Retired India legend Ravichandran Ashwin was in awe of England spinner Adil Rashid’s breathtaking delivery in Rajkot. The 37-year-old leg spinner played a pivotal role in England’s 26-run win over India at the Niranjan Shah Stadium on January 28. He dismissed Tilak Varma in the eighth over of India’s chase with a peach of a delivery to find the stumps. The marvelous wrist spin showcase caught Ashwin’s attention

The retired spinner couldn’t keep calm as he reacted to the delivery on X (formerly Twitter).

“Absolute seed. Scrambled seam and serious side spin. Top bowling Adil Rashid,” Ashwin wrote.

Adil Rashid got the big wicket in the final ball of the eighth over. He outfoxed Tilak Varma by making the ball sharply turn back into the batter. Varma waited on the backfoot to play the delivery. The southpaw, however, failed to read the ball and lost his stumps. The wicket paved the way for Adil’s remarkable comeback in the series after he was hammered for 27 runs in Kolkata. While he failed to stop India in Chennai, the veteran spinner was instrumental in England’s defence to keep the five-match series alive.

Ravichandran Ashwin wasn’t the only one impressed with the ripper of a ball. India skipper Suryakumar Yadav also hailed Adil Rashid’s wizardry in the post-match presentation. He claimed India had the game in their palms with Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel on the crease.

“I felt there would be little dew later in the day.

I feel we had the game in our hands when Hardik and Axar were batting,” he said, as per multiple outlets.

According to Suryakumar, Adil’s spell played an important role in turning the game in England’s favour.

“Credit goes to Adil Rashid, he bowled well. That’s why he is a world-class bowler. He didn’t allow us to rotate the strike,” the Indian skipper concluded.

The third T20I between India and England saw the visitors bat first at the Niranjan Shah Stadium and set a total of 172. India’s chase didn’t have the best start as both openers Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma were dismissed inside the powerplay. Following Suryakumar Yadav’s wicket, the host side’s innings just went downhill with Adil Rashid making the batters fight hard for the runs. In his four-over spell, the Englishman gave away just 15 runs to seal a much-needed victory for the Jos Buttler-led side.

As India missed a chance to secure the series in the third T20I, the Men in Blue will have a second opportunity to settle the affair. With the series stuck at 2-1, India can still take an unassailable lead if they beat the Three Lions on Friday at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium.

Also Read: IND vs ENG: “Side Arm Specialists In India Need To Work Hard To Prepare Batters For Tough Times”- Abhishek Jain Gives His Invaluable Insights


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