VVS Laxman, former Indian batsman has hailed off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin for his exemplary performance against Australia in the recently concluded Boxing Day Test at Melbourne which India won levelling the series.
The Tamil Nadu bowler dismantled the Australian batting by scalping three wickets in the first innings which included the dismissal of Steve Smith. Ravichandran Ashwin went on to pick two more wickets in the second innings, helping India to bundle the opponents for 200.
VVS Laxman: Ravichandran Ashwin Backed His Adelaide Performance With Another Lovely Display Of Off-Spin In Melbourne
The off-spinner garnered praises for taking down Steve Smith cheaply, in the first innings of both matches. Impressed with his heroics, VVS Laxman, in his latest column on Times of India, said that this is the best version of Ravi Ashwin he has ever witnessed in overseas conditions.
“Ravichandran Ashwin seems to have the measure of Smith at the moment and backed up his performance in Adelaide with another lovely display of off-spin in Melbourne. It’s the best I have seen Ashwin bowl overseas, and that’s saying something given the peaks he has scaled,” Laxman wrote.
This is one of Steve Smith’s worst starts to a series with just 10 runs in 4 innings. In Adelaide, he was dismissed for 1 run of 29 balls in the first innings and once again it was Ravichandran Ashwin who outfoxed him as he was caught by Cheteshwar Pujara without scoring.
He had got Steve Smith to edge it to Ajinkya Rahane in the slips in Adelaide Test. In the second innings, Steve Smith was unbeaten on 1 as Australia won the game by 8 wickets. Steve Smith scored 8 runs off 30 balls as Jasprit Bumrah bowled him in 2nd innings. It was his highest score.
VVS Laxman Heartened By Shubam Gill And Mohammed Siraj
Besides praising spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, VVS Laxman also highlighted the efforts put by youngsters Shumban Gill and Mohammed Siraj who made their Test debuts at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
The cricketer turned commentator wrote that India team didn’t look feeble despite missing the likes of Virat Kohli, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma and Rohit Sharma as their absence wasn’t that felt that much with Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja, Ajinkya Rahane and Mohammed Siraj rising to the occasion. Shubman Gill amassed 80 runs in 2 innings while Mohammed Siraj picked 5 scalps.
“I was heartened by the approach as well as the performances of debutants Shubman Gill and Mohammed Siraj. It also reiterates India’s burgeoning bench strength; even without their best batsman and their most experienced pacer on tour, Mohammed Shami, not to mention the absence of Ishant and Rohit Sharma, India didn’t appear seriously handicapped,” Laxman wrote.
After levelling the series 1-1, India now gears up to lock horns with Australia in the third Test that begins at the Sydney Cricket Ground from January 7. The last Test will be in Brisbane.