Senior India off-spinner R Ashwin has revealed the masterplan he had devised to dismiss Ben Stokes during the recently-concluded Test series, and in particular in the fifth Test in Dharamsala.
R Ashwin had got rid of Ben Stokes 13 times in Test cricket. In the recent home series, he accounted for the England captain twice, in the first Test in Hyderabad and in the last Test in Dharamsala.
In the fifth Test, in England’s second innings, Ashwin sent down an arm ball and the ball went on straight with the angle from round the wicket. Stokes played for the turn, but the ball didn’t spin. It beat Stokes’ inside edge and clattered into the stumps.
Speaking recently with the Indian Express, R Ashwin talked about his plans against Ben Stokes, and how he conjured up the stunning ball in Dharamsala.
The off-spinner said, “I just felt like when Stokes gets into the very defensive shells, he allows you to come a littler fuller and wider on occasions because he’s worried so much about the LBW. He gets into the zones of being literally extra tight and he could just lunge forward to every single ball on those occasions.”
“The ball found enough bounce and deviation to just get between bat and pad of that top half. My intention was to get him out LBW, but the bounce enabled me to get through the transit.”
“I thought they played good cricket”: R Ashwin on Bazball
![[Watch] R Ashwin Ends Ben Stokes' Miserable Series With A Magic Ball In Dharamsala](https://thecricketlounge.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/shardul-2024-03-09T140637.943.webp)
England won the first Test and competed strongly in the second and third before being outplayed completely in the last two Tests.
R Ashwin, despite not being at his best in the first three Tests, ended up as the highest wicket-taker of the series with 26 scalps.
Speaking of the Bazball approach, the off-spinner praised England for trying something new in Test cricket.
Ashwin asserted: “What England did on this tour cannot be negated or cannot be spoken of on a lesser note. Whenever you do something new and when it’s likely to be revolutionary or entertaining, you will find areas you can always find a balance to. I thought they played good cricket but we played some better cricket at the right moments.”
Ashwin will next be seen in the IPL 2024, bowling for the Rajasthan Royals.
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