“When the ball turns, no bowler is more dangerous than Ashwin” – Ishant Sharma lauds R Ashwin’s spell in 1st India vs West Indies Test

Ishant Sharma has lauded R Ashwin for proving his effectiveness once again in helpful conditions in the first Test between India and the West Indies.

Ashwin registered figures of 5/60 in 24.3 overs as India bowled out Kraigg Brathwaite and Co. for 150 in their first innings in Roseau on Wednesday, July 12. The visitors ended the day at a comfortable 80 for no loss, with Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma unbeaten on 40 and 30 respectively at the crease.

During a discussion on JioCinema, Ishant was asked about his thoughts on R Ashwin’s five-wicket haul, to which he responded:

“The conditions were also very supportive for Ashwin because the ball had started to spin. When the ball turns, no bowler is more dangerous than Ashwin. When the ball turns even slightly, he knows what line to bowl and how to vary his pace, because of which he picked up five wickets.”

The Indian pacer was also asked about the best attributes the wily off-spinner brought to the table, to which he replied:

“The best thing was the line he bowled and he mixed his pace very well. He didn’t bowl at one pace. So it becomes very difficult for the batters to read that. He started with the sliders and then tossed one up.”

Ishant added:

“He used the rough very well, whether it was to the left-handers or the right-handers. When he was bowling slow to the right-handers, he was bowling wide of the stumps. All these things are a sign of a good bowler, how he reads the wicket, from where he can get the turn. So Ashwin did all these things very well.”

Ashwin started his wicket-taking spree by castling Tagenarine Chanderpaul with a slightly slower delivery after setting him up with a few balls bowled with a flatter trajectory. He followed that up with the dismissals of Kraigg Brathwaite, Alzarri Joseph, Alick Athanaze and Jomel Warrican to complete his five-wicket haul.

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“Getting help from the wicket is one thing but you also need to know how to use it” – RP Singh praises R Ashwin

RP Singh was further asked about R Ashwin proving that he can be effective away from home as well, to which he responded:

“There was some help, the turn was visible. There were some patches as well, some spots from where the ball was bouncing more. Getting help from the wicket is one thing but you also need to know how to use it. It is in Ashwin’s hands how he uses it. He has a lot of variations, he later showed the carrom ball and picked up a wicket with that as well.”

Other than Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja (3/26) was India’s most successful bowler. Shardul Thakur (1/15) and Mohammed Siraj (1/25) were the other wicket-takers for the visitors.