On the first day of the first Test match between India and Bangladesh in Chennai, Ravichandran Ashwin took the pitch for his country amid an electrifying environment that suggested he would have an outstanding performance. The top order was collapsing at the dangerous 144/6, and time appeared to have other ideas for the seasoned 38-year-old.
Ashwin’s Stellar Performance With Bat
India reached a respectable 339/6 in 80 overs before the close of play on the first day, with Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja looking strong. With an incredible 102* off 112 deliveries, 10 boundaries, and two sixes, Ashwin enthralled the home audience. Jadeja, who also remembered his duty, performed admirably, scoring an undefeated 86* off 117 balls to put India in a strong position.
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“Worked on a few things and on a surface like this with a bit of spice, if you’re going after the ball, might as well go after it really hard like Rishabh does. It’s an old Chennai surface with a bit of bounce and carry. The red soil pitch allows you to play a few shots if you are willing to just get in line and give it a bit of a tonk when there’s width,” he said.
Ashwin Provides Insight On Chennai’s Pitch
Ashwin put in a lot of effort in his batting last year. In order to comprehend the ball and the bat, he travelled to Seattle to learn baseball mechanics.
“It’s a typical, old-fashioned Chennai pitch where overspin will fetch a bit of bounce. The wicket will start doing its tricks much later in the game. There’s enough in it for the quicks, good carry, good bounce if we present the seam nice and hard. The new ball will do a bit, there’ll be some help for the bowlers, we’ll have to start afresh tomorrow. There’s a bit in the pitch, it’s still damp underneath, so hopefully as it dries out, it quickens up.” Ashwin opined about the pitch.
