NEW DELHI: Former England captain Nasser Hussain has hailed Ravichandran Ashwin's exceptional performance in the fourth Test match against England, where India asserted dominance on Days 3 and 4 in Ranchi.
Despite a relatively subdued showing in the initial Tests, Ashwin displayed his prowess with a stunning display of spin bowling in the second innings, clinching a fifer to dismantle the English batting order.
"People have been saying Ashwin has had a quiet series, but this game has been a reminder that you don't keep a great cricketer down. Root proved as much in England's first innings, and Ashwin underlined the point in their second," Hussain remarked in his column for Daily Mail.
Hussain emphasized the significance of Ashwin's resurgence, highlighting the resolve and determination evident in his eyes when given the new ball by Indian skipper Rohit Sharma.
"You could see the fire in his eyes when Rohit gave him the new ball: he was determined to stamp his class on the series," Hussain added.
The veteran spinner's aggressive intent and diverse bowling repertoire, including the execution of a carrom ball to dismiss Ben Foakes, were lauded by Hussain, who commended Ashwin's match-winning contribution.
1/10:India vs England: Memorable Test series for five debutants
2/10:Dhruv Jurel
<p>Wicketkeeper-batsman Dhruv Jurel marked his debut in Rajkot's third Test with a first-innings 46 to give a glimpse of his promise. </p>
3/10:Match-winner
<p>Jurel rescued India from trouble twice in the fourth Test in Ranchi with 90 in the first innings to guide his side from 177-7 to 307 and then a match-winning 39 not out. </p>AP
4/10:Sarfaraz Khan
<p>Sarfaraz Khan also made his debut in Rajkot and immediately repaid the selectors by cracking 62 off 66 balls in the first innings before being run out. </p>
5/10:Fifties in debut innings
<p>Sarfaraz remained unbeaten on 68 off 72 balls in the second to help set up India's declaration as they won by a massive 434 runs. </p>AP
6/10:Akash Deep
<p>Fast bowler Akash Deep made an instant impact with the new ball on debut in the fourth Test, despite shouldering the burden of replacing Jasprit Bumrah who was rested. </p>
7/10:3-wicket burst
<p>Akash Deep ripped through the England top order with Ben Duckett caught behind and Ollie Pope trapped lbw second ball and smashed Zak Crawley's stumps. </p>Getty Images
8/10:Tom Hartley
<p>24-year-old left-armer Tom Hartley marked his debut in the 1st Test in Hyderabad with nine wickets in a match-winning display. </p>Getty Images
9/10:Hyderabad Test
<p>Hartley spun his team to victory with figures of 7-62 and his 20 wickets in four matches are more than any other bowler and he has also contributed 159 useful runs down the order. </p>PTI
10/10:Shoaib Bashir
<p>Shoaib Bashir, who has Pakistani heritage, missed the first Test due to a visa delay but was then thrown straight in for his debut in the second despite having played only six first class matches. </p>Getty Images"Rohit Sharma got it spot on when he opened the bowling with Ravichandran Ashwin, after delaying his entry for too long in the first innings at Rajkot," Hussain noted, praising Rohit's strategic decision-making.
Ashwin's resurgence in the fourth Test comes after a relatively quiet start to the series, where he recently achieved the milestone of 500 Test wickets. With a total of 17 wickets across four Tests, Ashwin has proven instrumental for India's success in the ongoing series.
