[Watch] Ravichandran Ashwin Strikes In His First Over, Traps Tom Latham LBW In The Second Test

In the second Test at the Maharashtra Cricket Association stadium in Pune, Ravichandran Ashwin made his comeback by removing New Zealand captain Tom Latham, giving India their first breakthrough. He just took one wicket in the series opener in Bengaluru, which was a dismal performance. But this time, Ashwin wasted no time in opening his account by hitting gold in just five deliveries.

India is looking to comeback into the series after having lost the first test and Ashwin getting an early breakthrough is a good sign. New Zealand decided to bat first after winning the toss, but Ashwin came up with a crucial breakthrough to get rid of Latham. As expected the Pune pitch will aid spinners as the match progresses; hence this section will be pivotal in determining India’s prospects of levelling the series.

India welcomed back Shubman Gill after he was forced to sit out of the last match due to stiffness in his neck – the other two new inclusions include Washington Sundar, the leg-spinner, and Akash Deep, the fast bowler. KL Rahul was benched, as was Mohammed Siraj, and Kuldeep Yadav.

Ravichandran Ashwin Traps Tom Latham:

https://x.com/JioCinema/status/1849313417531916784

Rohit Sharma brought his most seasoned bowler, Ravichandran Ashwin, into the attack when New Zealand was at 30/0 after seven overs. Tom Latham was taken out in the opening over by the seasoned off-spinner.

Throughout the over, the spinner set up the hitter before striking the final ball. Ashwin’s first five deliveries continued the angle and were primarily delivered around the middle and leg stump line.

Ashwin dragged Latham forward with a little slower and tossed-up delivery on the final over. After throwing, the ball veered toward the leg stump before turning away from the batter. Latham was wrapped on the pads in front of the stumps after being beaten by the turn while attempting to defend the ball from the front foot.