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Following India's 1-0 series lead over Bangladesh in the opening Test match, former Pakistani players have been quick to respond. Veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja's skill with the bat and ball were significant factors in India's success. India was struggling at 144-6 on the opening day before Ashwin and Jadeja put up a huge 199-run partnership. Ashwin reached his sixth career Test century with a knock of 113. Jadeja contributed by scoring 86 runs and helped the team amass a massive 375-run first innings total.
Afterwards, Jadeja claimed two wickets in the first innings and three more in the second. As the only player to score a century and capture five wickets in the same match at the same venue twice, Ashwin won the Player of the Match (POTM) title on his home field with a six-wicket haul.
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Two players without whom India cannot form Test playing XI at home
The Ashwin-Jadeja duo received massive praise from former Pakistani wicket-keeper batter Kamran Akmal, who referred to them as two players India cannot form a playing XI in a home Test match without.
"What an all-round performance from Ashwin. He took six wickets in the second inning and even scored a century. He won the match and took his team out of trouble. It was a match-winning partnership from Jaddu. Without these two players, India can't form a Test playing XI when playing in home conditions. They have such a reputation. They are big performers," said Akmal on his YouTube channel.
For those who do not know, with 553 wickets in 54 matches combined, Ashwin and Jadeja rank sixth in cricket history as a bowling duo. Jadeja will join Ashwin in an elite group of players who have amassed more than 3000 runs and 300 wickets in the longest format of the game when he completes his 300 wickets in Test cricket, he is currently only one wicket short from reaching that milestone.
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