Ravichandran Ashwin played a pivotal role in India’s triumph in the first Test against England in Hyderabad by taking the wicket of captain Ben Stokes. This marked Ashwin’s 12th dismissal in Test cricket, matching Kapil Dev’s record for the most times an Indian bowler has dismissed a batsman.
Having dismissed India for 436, England found themselves at 140/4 after Jonny Bairstow’s dismissal, signalling Ben Stokes’ entrance to the crease. Faced with the need to stabilize the innings, Stokes adopted a careful approach in his batting. England’s leading run-scorer in the first innings, he had only accumulated 6 runs when Ashwin made a significant impact. Ashwin delivered a ball towards the middle, causing it to hit the top and disrupt the surface.
The length compelled Stokes to move forward, but the ball unexpectedly gripped and turned beyond the outside edge, ultimately crashing into the off-stump. Despite covering the line well, Stokes executed an ideal-looking defensive push, only to be undone by Ashwin’s magical delivery.
The moment brought joy to Ashwin, his teammates, and the crowd in Hyderabad. This marks the 12th occasion (out of 25 innings) in Test cricket where Ashwin has dismissed Stokes, establishing a record for the bowler. Ashwin also matched the illustrious Kapil Dev’s record for the most frequent dismissal of a batsman by an Indian bowler in Tests. Kapil Dev had achieved this feat by dismissing Mudassar Nazar of Pakistan 12 times in Test cricket.
The video of this dismissal was shared by the BCCI on X:
📽️ R Ashwin to Ben Stokes
What a delivery 🙌#TeamIndia | #INDvENG | @ashwinravi99 | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/sxBGnhmhl0
— BCCI (@BCCI) January 27, 2024
Ravichandran Ashwin’s successful delivery concludes a superb session for India
India faced some challenges heading into lunch after a remarkable opening session for England. The visitors efficiently took the remaining three Indian wickets, preventing the lead from exceeding 200 runs. Openers Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley adopted an aggressive ‘Bazball’ approach. Although Ravichandran Ashwin dismissed Crawley, he and Axar Patel appeared unsettled by England’s counterattack.
Jasprit Bumrah’s exceptional afternoon spell secured key wickets, including Duckett and Joe Root, and Ravindra Jadeja dismissed Jonny Bairstow. Ashwin’s dismissal of Ben Stokes boosted his confidence for the third session. England relies on Ollie Pope’s strong position, hoping for crucial partnerships with wicketkeeper Ben Foakes and the bowlers to support their vice-captain.
Get the latest cricket news here, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more such updates.