Team India spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Ravichandran Ashwin shared a wonderful moment of friendship during the opening day of the fifth India-England Test in Dharamsala on Thursday, March 7. While Kuldeep claimed a five-fer, Ashwin picked up four as England were bowled out for 218 as well.
However, the bowler who picks up a five-wicket haul in an innings usually leads the team off the field by showing the ball to the crowd as well but this time Kuldeep insisted that Ashwin should take the ball and lead India off the field as it was his landmark 100th Test as well. But, Ashwin politely refused the offer and eventually, Kuldeep did so.
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Speaking to the media at the end of the opening day’s play, Kuldeep said, “There was not much talk. He [Ashwin] said he already has 35 balls, and asked me to keep this one. I don’t think about records. A Lot of players don’t get opportunities, so I’m just grateful. I’ve played a lot with Ash bhai and Jaddu bhai. In Hyderabad, I had a long chat with Ashwin and he told me about the changes I need to make in my mindset. He gives a lot of ideas. I hope they play for a long time.”
However, England won the toss and batted first in the fifth Test in Dharamsala, but they were all out in 57.4 overs. In response, India went to stumps on Day 1 at 135/1, with captain Rohit Sharma unbeaten on 52 and Shubman Gill on 26. Meanwhile, there was an interesting build-up to England batter Ollie Pope’s dismissal on Day 1 of the Dharamsala Test as well. Indian keeper-batter Dhruv Jurel was heard chirping on the stump mic that he would step out. And, in the very next ball, Pope ran down the track, was beaten by a googly, and he ended up getting stumped as well.
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“Ollie Pope can’t stay in his crease for long. He likes to step out and dominate the spinners. If you have variations, you can use them. It’s the keeper’s job to notice those things. He stepped out early, and that’s when I decided to change it,” Kuldeep Yadav concluded. “He just stepped out a bit early and that’s all. That’s what I was thinking at the moment. Even Sarfaraz was saying the same thing, ‘he was going to step out’.”
