On this day in 2016: R Ashwin registers his career-best figures of 7/59
Ravichandran Ashwin has gone on to emerge as arguably India’s best Test spinner in the last decade. Ashwin loves to challenge himself by constantly updating his bowling variations and is known for being a streetsmart bowler in Test cricket.
Ashwin became the quickest Indian bowler and the second-fastest after Muttiah Muralitharan to register 400 Test scalps and has several other bowling records to his name in the longest format. Meanwhile, it was on this day in 2016 that he outclassed New Zealand in the Indore Test.
When Ashwin bamboozled the famed NZ batting line-up
India faced New Zealand in the third and final Test match at Indore’s Holkar Stadium. The hosts were eyeing a clean sweep having already sealed the series 2-0. Indian skipper Virat Kohli won the toss and elected to bat.
The Indians declared their innings at 557/5 courtesy of an outstanding 211 from skipper Virat Kohli and a supporting 188 from deputy Ajinkya Rahane. The Kiwis in their first innings were bundled out for 299.
Ashwin did the bulk of the damage as he finished with figures of 6/81. With a gigantic lead of 258 runs, the Indian batters looked to set a mammoth target for the visitors with the wicket seemingly getting tough to bat on in the final two days.
India eventually declared their innings at 216/3 courtesy of an unbeaten 101 from star number batter Cheteshwar Pujara. Thus, India set New Zealand a mammoth target of 475 runs to register a consolation win.
However, the Kiwis miserably failed in their second innings as no one could get going with the bat and they kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Meanwhile, it was R Ashwin who decimated the Black Caps batting line-up with a match-winning seven-wicket haul.
Ashwin finished with figures of 7/59 as New Zealand were skittled out for 153 and India registered a comprehensive win by 321 runs. In both innings of that Test match, the off-spinner finished with outstanding bowling figures of 13/140.
The Tamil Nadu cricketer was adjudged the Player of the Match for his match-winning spells in the Test match and was also adjudged the Player of the Series for taking 27 wickets and scoring 71 runs.
