Ravichandran Ashwin used crease well against West Indies: Anil Kumble | Cricket News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Star India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin showcased his exceptional guile and spin in the first Test against West Indies in Dominica, deceiving the opposition with a remarkable performance of 12-131.
This outstanding display allowed him to secure his 8th ten-wicket match haul, a feat shared only with the legendary Anil Kumble, making him one of the joint-most successful Indian bowlers in this regard.
Ashwin now stands just one five-wicket haul away from matching Kumble’s record of 35.

Notably, Ashwin’s impressive twelve-wicket haul was complemented by the exceptional batting prowess of debutant Yashasvi Jaiswal, who scored a magnificent 171 runs.
Together, their contributions enabled India to swiftly conclude the match by the third evening. Kumble, India’s highest wicket-taker in Test cricket, lauded Ashwin’s monumental achievement, acknowledging it as the best individual performance by an Indian player in the West Indies.

“Ashwin plays with the batter’s mind. It is not just about the skills you have. It is also the ability to transfer pressure onto the batter which you could see in every batter that faced Ashwin, you could see that in their body language,” former India Test captain Kumble remarked on JioCinema.
Kumble also observed Ashwin’s optimal use of the crease against the home team’s left-handers, especially the way he got opener Tagenarine Chanderpaul.
“He bowled wide off the crease with the ball coming into the left-hander. Once the left-hander thought the balls would come in, is when Ashwin bowled that beautiful delivery to Chanderpaul which just drifted in and left him and took the off stump,” Kumble said.

In addition to his remarkable performance, the former India captain and coach, Kumble, also commended Ashwin for his exceptional ability to read the pitch and adapt his bowling accordingly. This skill is crucial for a spinner as it allows them to make strategic decisions on the type of deliveries to bowl and the variations to employ based on the pitch conditions.
Kumble’s praise for Ashwin’s pitch reading ability highlights the off-spinner’s cricketing intelligence and his proficiency in adapting his game to suit the playing conditions. It further emphasises the value of Ashwin’s contribution to the Indian cricket team and his stature as one of the finest spinners in the game.
The second Test between India and West Indies starts on July 20.
(With ANI inputs)