Former India player turned veteran commentator Aakash Chopra has said that Ravichandran Ashwin made the Indian team management realize that they probably made a mistake by not adding him for the World Test Championship final. Ashwin returned with the figures of 5/60 in 24.3 overs as India bowled out the West Indies for 150 on Day 1 of the first Test in Roseau on Wednesday, July 12. And, then they ended the day at 80 for no loss as well.
While reviewing the first day’s play in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra said: “The entire team was bowled out for 150 after opting to bat. Ashwin picked up a five-wicket haul. Did we make a mistake in the WTC final, he made us realize that a little. The sort of pitches we have in Dominica or the West Indies, before the series I had predicted that Ravichandran Ashwin will be Player of the Series and he is on track currently. If he continues like this, he will become that as well.”
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However, Ravichandran Ashwin registered an all-round record against the West Indies. He has picked up 65 wickets which came at an average of 21.09 and scored 552 runs, including four centuries, at an average of 50.18 in 12 Tests against the Windies as well. And, Ravichandran Ashwin became the third Indian bowler to pick up 700 international wickets also.
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“His quality is to keep bowling at one spot continuously. This job used to be very easy earlier but people don’t do that these days. There are only three or four spinners who are able to pitch the ball at one spot, one is Ashwin, the second is Nathan Lyon, the third is Ravindra Jadeja and it takes you a little more time to find the fourth. Ashwin bowled quite a lot from around the stumps. Subtle variations, he wasn’t bowling carrom balls and all. A little drift in the air, slightly away from the batters, arm balls, a little turn and to get the ball to dip slightly with flight – he was in his elements,” Aakash Chopra concluded.
