Ravichandran Ashwin shared his thoughts on Washington Sundar’s four-wicket performance on Day 4 of the ongoing Lord’s Test between India and England, stating that Sundar didn’t bowl many extraordinary deliveries. According to Ashwin, the off-spinner’s success was largely due to how well he adapted to the pitch and made use of the favorable conditions.
Washington Sundar played an important role in helping India dismiss England for just 192 on Sunday, July 13. He took key wickets, including those of Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Jamie Smith, and Shoaib Bashir, and finished with excellent figures of 12.1 overs, 2 maidens, 22 runs, and 4 wickets.
Speaking about how Sundar was able to trouble the English batters without bowling many unplayable deliveries, Ravichandran Ashwin shared his thoughts in the latest episode of his YouTube show Ash ki Baat (from 1:19):
“We must praise Washington Sundar’s spell. Actually, he didn’t bowl many good balls, but he did one amazing thing. He was bowling with the slope running towards the off side. He knew that the ball would not spin much, and it would run with the slope.”
“What Washi did really well was to keep the ball on the stumps. He let the slope do the job. The odd ball was spinning or keeping low, and it was also skidding at times. He used the pitch really well,” he added (from 1:46).
“Stokes and Root lacked intent on Day 4” – Ashwin on ENG vs IND 3rd Test
In the same video, Ravichandran Ashwin expressed that England captain Ben Stokes and senior batter Joe Root could have displayed greater intent during their partnership. The pair added 67 runs for the fifth wicket but took 128 deliveries to do so. Ashwin noted that England might have gained the upper hand had Stokes and Root adopted a more positive approach at that stage of the innings.
He shared his thoughts (from 2:01):
“I just felt that the partnership between Ben Stokes and Joe Root, especially after Tea, they could have played with a little more intent. At 159/5, England were really ahead in the game.”
Get the latest cricket news here, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more such updates.
