After the fourth Test between India and England concluded its third day of play, experienced Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin disclosed that he had been having some knee problems.
Given that Ashwin has been a vital component of the Indian team in red-ball cricket, this poses a serious threat to the team. Ashwin became the Indian bowler with the most wickets in Test matches at home on Sunday. The off-spinner eclipsed bowling great Anil Kumble for the new high.
“For some strange reason my knee has been acting up. It just takes me 10-12 balls to warm up. I had a warmup before getting in as well,” said Ashwin after stumps on the third day of the Ranchi Test.
“So once I got my length right that is when I wanted to try it (carrom ball) because I did not want to give away extra runs because we were chasing last, so every single run to chase is a big bonus. Phenomenal character (by the entire bowling unit),” Ashwin added.
In the second innings of the Ranchi Test against England, Ashwin claimed 5 wickets, while Kuldeep Yadav was equally successful with 4 scalps.
“I thought Kuldeep bowled brilliantly. What I loved about Kuldeep today was the way he worked on his run-up, momentum and all that sort of stuff, We all know how much revs he can put on the ball, and what skill he has. The change of pace that changes the trajectory, which he is willing to do now. Happy for him. I just stole the fifer away from him. That is how the game goes,” he added.
