England captain Ben Stokes was angry after facing a magnificent delivery from veteran Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin during the second session of the current Test between the two countries in Hyderabad on Saturday (January 27).
Stokes appeared to be dedicated to blocking virtually every delivery, and he ultimately paid the price when Ashwin pitched and spun past his outside edge, clipping the off stump.
Replays revealed that Ben Stokes may have played slightly inside the ball’s line, maybe driving the delivery by suppressing the spin. Nonetheless, it was a classic off-spinner dismissal for Ravichandran Ashwin, who was overjoyed to get the crucial wicket.
Here’s the dismissal and Stokes’ reaction:
It was a significant wicket for Ashwin, who had struggled to get the appropriate length in the opening session of Day 3. The veteran is expected to lead India’s spin attack and has established high standards for himself over the last decade and more.
Ravichandran Ashwin’s strike caps off excellent session for India
India had some questions to answer as they walked to lunch following England’s superb opening session. The visitors made care to take the final three Indian wickets swiftly and keep the advantage under 200 runs.
Openers Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley then came out to bat, determined to take the game to the opponents in true ‘Bazball’ form. Ravichandran Ashwin did dismiss Crawley, but he and Axar Patel were unnerved by England’s response.
Jasprit Bumrah’s spectacular stint in the afternoon session resulted in the wickets of Ben Duckett and Joe Root, while Ravindra Jadeja followed up with dismissing Jonny Bairstow. Ben Stokes’ dismissal will boost Ashwin’s confidence, and he will seek to build on that momentum in the third session.
England still has Ollie Pope in good form and will be hoping that wicketkeeper Ben Foakes and the bowlers can support their vice-captain with some vital partnerships.