As India geared up for their first test series in 2024 at home soil versus the Bazball infused England team on 25th January 2024 in conquest to the top spot in the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 table , all eyes would be on experienced and veteran offspinner of India Ravichandran Ashwin. Indian ace off spinner on home pitches Ravichandran Ashwin has an impeccable record versus England and would love to continue the same in the upcoming series.
Ravichandran Ashwin who now stands on 490 wickets is set to become second Indian spinner after legendary Anil Kumble (619 wickets) to become the second Indian spinner who will surpass 500 wickets mark in the upcoming test series.
However since the first test which India lost till date in the ongoing second test Ravichandran Ashwin has not been able to stamp his authority over rampaging English batters in conditions where unlikely the previous tours pitches were even for both batter and bowlers. As England newbie spinners Tom Hartley and Rehan Ahmed are amongst top wicket takers in the series it is to surprise that Indian top wicket taker is a fast bowler in Jasprit Bumrah with 12 wickets so far not Ravichandran Ashwin who has got 7 wickets till date in the series.
Ravichandran Ashwin as an effective all rounder for Team India.
Meanwhile a potential all rounder at number 8, Ravichandran Ashwin who started his first class and school age cricket as an opening batter for his home team TamilNadu, is no geek with the bat having an average of 23.69 in tests with a strike rate of 51.48 inclusive of 5 test centuries out of which one came in the last series versus the Englishmen at home in Chennai where he and the other century man Rohit Sharma on a sluggish Chennai wicket helped India won a match.
With the ball on Indian pitches versus any opposition over a decade now Ashwin has been a threat since his test debut in 2011 having taken over the mantle of Indian spin legacy from the likes of Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh successfully. His bowling figures at home stands an impressive at 337 wickets from 55 matches only with a best of 7 for 59 inclusive of 26 five wickets haul and 6 ten wickets hauls in both innings of a test match.
Ashwin has an impeccable record versus the Englishmen at home and away and in this series requires just eight more wickets to become India’s leading wicket taker versus England in tests. In this series where records would galore for Ravichandran Ashwin, he could be the only second bowler to complete 100 wickets in India -England tests after James Anderson(139 wickets).
Also Ashwin requires only 13 wickets to complete 350 test wickets at home. In the process Ashwin can also become second Indian bowler after Anil Kumble (895) to deliver 600 maiden overs in Tests in India . With so many records in sight it is evident that Ravichandran Ashwin will be an impending threat on the English batters.
Saying so , In the second test match vs England at Vizag Ashwin went wicketless in the first innings as Bumrah’s 6-45 run riot through the English batting line up. However the offspinner garnered some confidence as he scored 29 runs in India’s second innings to help India reach an healthy lead and set England a task of scoring 399 runs to win a test match. English openers started on a brighter side racing to 50 runs in no time. However Ashwin provided the late breakthrough capturing Ben Duckett to give India hopes on Day 4 to give India victory.
Former Indian cricketer now commentator Sanjay Manjrekar feels that the late wicket of Ben Duckett has risen hope for India going to bowl on Day 4 with pitch not fully but starting to assist the spinners, Ravichandran Ashwin will have a bigger role on forthcoming days if India has to win a test match at Vizag.
Sanjay Manjrekar feels that Ravichandran Ashwin can spurn a web across English batters
Former Indian cricketer now commentator Sanjay Manjrekar feels Ravichandran Ashwin’s wicket of Ben Duckett at the fag end of Day 3 could be the defining moment of the second India-England Test. Chasing an improbable 399 in the fourth innings for victory, the visitors were off to the races at 46/0 in 10 overs. However, Ashwin struck in his first over by trapping an in-form Duckett LBW for 28 to provide India with the much-needed breakthrough.
England eventually ended the day at 67/1 in 14 overs, requiring a further 332 runs for a famous win.
Speaking on ESPNCricinfo at stumps on Day 3, Manjrekar feels the wicket can lead Ashwin on a rampage for the rest of the innings
“We talk about moments in Test cricket and that wicket of Ben Duckett from Ashwin was one of them. Because he looked good and is a man who is high on confidence and Ashwin getting that wicket was important for India because now his tail will be up. Bowl Ashwin as much as possible in the first 50 overs while the ball is hard and that is where you’ll get the best of Ashwin,” said Manjrekar.
Ravichandran Ashwin was surprisingly off-color in England’s first innings, with figures of 0/61 in 12 overs. The wily off-spinner is only three wickets shy of the magical 500-wicket mark in Test cricket and India would like that the off spinner would be able to complete the same in the second match itself to give India series levelling victory in Vizag and go 1-1 in Rajkot for the third test.