Former England Cricketer Alastair Cook shared his verdict on Ravichandran Ashwin’s penalty for running in the protected area of the field. He believes it was a deliberate move because he wanted help from the field when he came to bowl.
Ravichandran Ashwin was the talk of the town on Day 3 of the ongoing Test match against England. The match between the teams will take place at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot. The player first played a decent hand with the ball and then contributed with the ball as well.
Ravichandran Ashwin played a decent hand with the bat and helped India surpass 400 runs on the board. The player along with Dhruv Jurel put pressure on the England bowlers and played some accurate shots in their innings. He also looked solid at the crease.
During his innings, Ravichandran Ashwin made a mistake. In India’s 104th innings, he played Rehan Ahmed’s delivery towards offside and took off. He walked down the middle of the field for the first few steps. However, referee Joel Wilson took note of it.
This was the second time Ravichandran Ashwin made the mistake. His antics cost India when the umpire awarded 5 runs to England. The innings started at 5/0. Later the off-spinner was also seen having a lively chat with the umpires related to the same.
Alastair Cook, however, believes it was a tactical strategy by Ravichandran Ashwin to disrupt the midfield. He believes it was clever on the part of the non-spinner. Speaking as a commentator for TNT Sports, he explained:
“Is it deliberate? Yes it is. It is a tactical ploy that you can disturb mid-wicket because Ashwin helps a lot. [as possible] when he bowls. That was clever, wasn’t it?
Ravichandran Ashwin completes 500 wickets with the ball in Tests
Ravichandran Ashwin then grabbed the headlines with the ball in the ongoing game. The all-rounder removed Zak Crawley, helping him claim his 500th wicket in Test cricket, becoming the second Indian bowler to achieve the feat after Anil Kumble, who picked 619 wickets in his career.
Ravichandran Ashwin dedicated his 500 Test wickets to his father. He lavished high praise on his father, saying she has been with him through thick and thin. In statements to the stations, he explained:
“It has been quite a long journey. First of all I would like to dedicate this feat to my father. He’s been with me through thick and thin, he probably had a heart attack every time he saw me play. His health has probably been affected because of that.
Ravichandran Ashwin will now be eager to make an impact with the ball on day 3 of the game. He will have to play a very important role if India wants to get back into the match. He played quite well on day 2, but the England players played well with him.
It’s fair to say that if he makes a good start on Day 3, India will be on top.
