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After Day 2’s play, India lost the services of their most experienced bowler in the lineup. Ravichandran Ashwin had to fly back home due to a medical emergency in his family. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and captain Rohit Sharma backed Ashwin’s decision to be with his family during a difficult time. However, it meant that India would have four frontline bowlers on Day 3, which initially gave England an edge after Ben Duckett’s ton got them off to a flying start.
Rohit also lauded Ashwin for returning to Rajkot for Day 4 of the Test as he put ‘everything ahead for the team’.
“When you lose your most experienced bowler, especially in the middle of the Test match, it's not easy. But everything was (at a) side, family comes first,” Rohit told the reporters in Rajkot. “When we heard the news, there was no second thought in our mind that he should do what he feels is right. He wanted to be with the family, which is an absolutely right thing to do and good on him to actually make a way and come here and be part of the team on this day as well.”
“(It) shows the character and shows the kind of person he is, wanting to put everything ahead for the team,” he added.
Ashwin’s monumental feat
Earlier, on Day 2, Ashwin became the second Indian bowler and ninth overall to complete 500 Test wickets. He achieved the rare feat with the wicket of Zak Crawley in the last session of Day 2. He also became the second-fastest to 500 Test wickets in terms of innings and bowls bowled.
In Ashwin’s absence, Mohammed Siraj and Kuldeep Yadav stepped up to bowl out England for 319 and help India take a sizeable 126-run lead.
Ashwin’s return in Rajkot Test
On Day 4, he returned to the field but was not introduced into the attack straightaway as Ravindra Jadeja and Yadav troubled the England batters. Rohit gave the ball to Ashwin and he delivered with the wicket of lower-order batter Tom Hartley. The left-handed batter got bowled by Ashwin. England were bowled out for 122 as India registered their biggest win (in terms of runs) by 434 runs to take a 2-1 lead in the series.
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