WIZARD OF ASH CONJURES MAGIC

On a good batting track, off-spinner brings all of his old tricks to pick up six wickets, giving hosts a fighting chance

- SWAROOP SWAMINATHAN

IT had been a thankless, wicket-less morning session for India. Standing at third-man, Ravichandran Ashwin’s right shoulder and arm was being given the once over by a support staff. An ice bag made its way up and down the arm and the shoulder. It was 33*c but the real feel was several degrees higher. Nothing was going India’s way, Ashwin had just finished a spell in the morning (14 in six overs) and he had tried everything. Worryingly, Cameron Green was opening up the run-scoring from one end. In the context of the game he had already bowled over 30 overs. The last time he had reached that number in India was in Kanpur in 2021.