Indian cricket team’s spin wizard, Ravichandran Ashwin celebrates his 27th birthday today.
Indian cricket team’s spin wizard, Ravichandran Ashwin celebrates his 27th birthday today. Since his debut for India in both tests and ODIs, Ashwin has delivered some top notch performances with the ball making him the ‘prized asset’ of skipper MS Dhoni. Here are a few of those super spins. Take a look.
9/190 vs. West Indies, Mumbai 2011
Even though India went on to win the series 2-0, the last Test match had a nail-biting finish. Ashwin’s 9 wickets in the match went with a fine century in the first innings (103) as India settled for a draw against the men from the Carribean. It was Ashwin’s dream series as he walked away with both Man of the Match and the Series awards.
12/85 vs. New Zealand, Hyderabad 2012
It is a rare scene on the cricket field when a spinner dominates a cricket match and this feat was achieved by Ashwin in the 1st Test against the Kiwis. His 12-wicket haul in both the innings led to a batting collapse and landed the match into India’s hands.
7/103 vs. Australia, Chennai 2013
The Aussies were tamed by India as they slipped to a 8-wicket loss thanks to Ravichandran Ashwin’ bowling wizardry. He picked up his career best 7/103 as the men from Oz were bundled out cheaply and India walked away worthy winners. Ashwin was also awarded the man of the match.
3/32 vs. Sri Lanka, Commonwealth Bank Series – 2nd match
It was Sri Lanka AGAIN, as India rolled out their Asian counterparts by a 4-wicket margin. Even though the Indian pacers performed well, spinner Ashwin too had a part to play as his 3 wickets ensured Sri Lanka did not reach a match winning total.
2/15 vs. England, ICC Champions Trophy final Birmingham 2013
It was the ICC Champions Trophy final as India won the tournament comprehensively by defeating England by 5 runs. In a rain-curtailed match, India set up a target of 129 of 20 overs and in return, England fell miserably short. Ashwin bowled the last over of the match as India went on to win the trophy under MS Dhoni’s captaincy.
Photo courtesy: BCCI
