Ashwin utilized the crease effectively.
Ravichandran Ashwin showcased his exceptional spin skills and deceived the West Indies batsmen in the first Test at Dominica, securing impressive figures of 12-131. With this performance, he achieved his 8th ten-wicket match haul, equalling the record set by Anil Kumble as the joint-most for an Indian. Ravichandran is now just one five-wicket haul away from matching Kumble’s record of 35.
Ravichandran’s exceptional bowling, combined with Yashasvi Jaiswal’s debut century of 171 runs, enabled India to wrap up the match by the third evening. Anil Kumble, India’s highest wicket-taker in Tests and an expert for JioCinema, praised Ashwin’s outstanding effort, which surpassed any previous Indian performances in the West Indies.
Kumble highlighted Ravichandran’s ability to play with the batsmen’s minds, transferring pressure onto them. This was evident in the body language of the West Indies batters facing Ashwin. Kumble also noted Ravichandran’s effective use of the crease against the left-handed batsmen of the home team, particularly in his dismissal of opener Tagenarine Chanderpaul. Ravichandran bowled wide off the crease, causing the left-hander to anticipate the ball coming in, but then delivered a drifting delivery that left Chanderpaul and took the off stump.
