Ravichandran Ashwin placed on the same pedestal as VVS Laxman after Chennai ton vs Bangladesh
Published - 20 Sep 2024, 09:56 AM | Updated - 20 Sep 2024, 11:36 PM
Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra praised Ravichandran Ashwin for his crucial century in the first innings of the 1st Test against Bangladesh. Aakash Chopra also drew comparisons between Ravichandran Ashwin and legendary Indian batter VVS Laxman, especially their wide array of shots.
Ashwin played a remarkable innings on Day 1 of the first Test against Bangladesh at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Thursday, September 19. He scored his sixth Test century and second consecutive at his home ground. He helped India recover from a difficult position along with Ravindra Jadeja.
The right-handed batter scored an unbeaten 102 runs off 112 balls, including 10 boundaries and two sixes. Ashwin added an unbeaten 195-run partnership with Jadeja for the seventh wicket. Jadeja scored an unbeaten 86 runs off 117 balls as the Rohit Sharma-led team posted 339/6 in 80 overs.
Ravichandran Ashwin Deserves A Bit More Of Credit - Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra, in his analysis on Jio Cinema, was impressed with Ravichandran Ashwin's batting technique during the Test match. Chopra compared Ashwin's leg-side play to that of VVS Laxman. He acknowledged Ravindra Jadeja's contribution but added that Ashwin deserved more credit.
"He lets the ball travel to him, he has only the shots at his disposal when it comes to the back foot. When it comes to his legs, he often reminds me of VVS Laxman," Chopra said on Jio Cinema.
But today his driving skills, especially bending his knee and hitting a six against spinners... Jadeja was outstanding, but Ashwin deserves a bit more of credit for today," he added.
India had a tough start after being put into bat as they lost Rohit Sharma (6), Shubman Gill (0), and Virat Kohli (6) in the first 10 overs.
India found themselves in trouble at 144/6 after 42.2 overs despite Yashasvi Jaiswal's (56) and Rishabh Pant's (39) efforts. Hasan Mahmud ran through India's top order.
He Was Also Demoted In The Batting Order - Aakash Chopra
The cricketer-turned-commentator also said that Ravichandran Ashwin had less playing time in international cricket recently compared to his teammates. Chopra pointed out that Ashwin last played an international match during the Test series against England earlier this year.
"We were really habituated to see him score with the bat, then over some time we saw a bit of a decline in his batting form. He was also demoted in the batting order," Chopra continued.
"He is a very organized player. His ability to absorb pressure, it is there in the foundation of how he plays. The rest of the players have still played in competitive cricket like the T20 World Cup in the build-up to this, but he had only last played in the England Tests," he concluded.
Ravichandran Ashwin's century on Thursday was his second consecutive Test hundred at his home ground. He previously scored 106 in the second innings against England at the same venue in February 2021.
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