When Alastair Cook’s ‘underdogs’ landed in India, for the five-match Test series, they were, to the surprise of many cricket followers greeted with a run-scoring belter at Rajkot. The five days that followed then, not only gave the visitors a chance to feel at ease but gave Virat Kohli’s men too, a bit of scare. The first Test match was drawn and the series scoreline remained untouched.

Then, the second Test was at Vizag and the question was: Will Vizag turn? The answer to it had to be a yes. But both teams are still trying to unearth a win from the surface beneath, as the game heads for a decisive fourth day. Yet the track could not be called a ‘turner’. One look at it, and you might have been deceived. Wickets were hard to take, but not if you are Ravichandran Ashwin.

When Umesh Yadav used reverse-swing to send a well-settled Jonny Bairstow’s leg stump for a walk, just before lunch, it looked as if India would finish England’s first innings with not much of a fuss. They eventually did bowl them out for 255, but not before some moments of frustration and the act of skillful-routine-magic-tricks that Ashwin pulled out of his hat, as always. Another day, another five-fer, but a hard-earned one for Ashwin gave India a 200-run lead. It was his 22nd Test five-for. He has played just 41 Tests (including this one). He is now equal with all-time greats Malcolm Marshall, Waqar Younis, Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh. You must be knowing, they were all legends of the game. Is Ashwin a legend in the making? He cannot be doubted anymore.

Ashwin Getting Into Rhythm

After his half-century contribution with the bat, his task of sending the England batsmen back to the pavilion started on Day Two, after India had been bowled out for 455. The wily spin monster inside Ashwin takes time to show his real self. For him to get wickets, its important that he gets into rhythm, along with of course his action assisting him. But how does he get into rhythm?

Well, the first few overs that he bowls are the most important for him. Simple things like drawing the batsman forward, making him drive, observing his footwork, flighting the ball enough, varying the pace, seeing how the pitch reacts and spotting the rough areas are some aspects that are placed as checkboxes in Ashwin’s cricketing mind. He ticks them one by one, over by over, ball by ball. When its coming out of his hand nicely, you almost sense Ashwin is getting there.

Ashwin’s Deadly Rhythm

What can he do when gets into rhythm? Well, a report card of his bowling in the first innings tells us he can do plenty when he is in rhythm. Ashwin’s first wicket was that of Ben Duckett. Although Duckett’s ‘technical flaw’ was talked about a lot by experts and commentators, as he exposed his stumps to the No.1 bowler in the world and a delivery pitching on middle and leg drawed him forward, took his right foot out of the way, hit the top of off stump, it is very interesting to see that Ashwin delivered that ball amazingly well. It came out of his hand beautifully, had adequate flight to it, drifted almost viciously to knock and beat Duckett’s defense; everything was perfect about it.

His second wicket was that of Joe Root. A rare misjudgement by one of England’s finest batsmen, trying to unsettle Ashwin’s rhythm, by coming down the wicket and driving him, that time going for a lofted shot, resulted in Ashwin’s second. Mind you, bit of turn at the last moment was crictical in Root’s wicket as it tilted his bat slightly, and Umesh Yadav took it easily. “I told Virat that I will get Root caught at short-mid-wicket because he was stepping out and driving. But Virat had the mid-on in place. I tried to get a little more side-on in my delivery action. It’s about the heart to try something different in the game,” Ashwin said as quoted by Cricbuzz. The delight on his face to get such a massive wicket was unexplainable.

His third wicket came with the new ball surprisingly, when Yadav had conceded plenty of boundaries from Adil Rashid’s bat, and a clearly frustrated Kohli had to turn to his spinners, after giving his pacers a go at Ben Stokes and Rashid. Stokes was settled on 70 before Ashwin’s delivery from round the wicket, squeezed to hit Stokes’ pads, and a review could not save him. The third umpire did not have conclusive evidence for an inside-edge, checked for the lbw and three reds meant Ashwin had his third. Relief came but with the new ball too it was Ashwin who was the breakthrough bowler.

Then Ravindra Jadeja managed to trap Zafar Ansari plumb. Another failed review for England resulted in Jadeja’s first. But England then had no reviews remaining. With eight wickets down, and Rashid still batting at the other end, Ashwin showed some beautiful off-spin bowling. Drift, turn, flight; Ashwin was in his zone. He beat Rashid plenty of times, and the Englishman could not even make a connection. Rashid showed he knows the art of playing spin with soft hands and had made India impatient for some time after lunch. But of course Ashwin was too much for him, and he was being deceived at will.

And then the fourth and fifth victims for Ashwin came fast. In a matter of two balls, Ashwin had another fifer. Not Rashid but Stuart Broad was out. A delivery on middle went onto hit Broad’s pads, missing his inside-edge, because of no turn on it. It looked like it was going down leg, but Ashwin appealed and appealed. Dharmasena ultimately raised his finger, and poor Broad had to walk back knowing his team had wasted all the reviews. The fifth scalp he got was James Anderson, again plumb, first ball.

A smiling Ashwin then would have been proud of himself for it was his first five-wicket-haul against England. But well, does he even want to think too much about it? No. But yes, Ashwin remembers his stats. “Haven’t had a five-wicket haul against England. It was at the back of my mind but I knew it would come if I stuck along to doing the right things. I am not yet counting the chickens,” he said after the end of Day Three.

While another masterly innings by Kohli had put India in a commanding position after their first innings, and another one of his innings in the second might take all the whistles and praises, Ashwin’s brilliance deserves the same level of appreciation. Ashwin’s five-for-collecting-habit deserves the same pedestal as a Kohli-hundred. If there is anyone who doesn’t believe this, Ashwin’s second innings bowling effort might just prove it. And watch out, for he will be on a hat-trick when he comes onto bowl.

Picture Courtesy: Cricbuzz, Firstpost