Star Indian all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin took center stage on the first day of the opening Test against Bangladesh at MA Chidambaram Stadium on Thursday, September 19. In Chennai, Ashwin smashed his sixth century in red-ball cricket.
R Ashwin helped Rohit Sharma and the team to bounce back after an early setback when the skipper, Kohli, and Gill returned to the pavilion without scoring major for the team. During this inning, R Ashwin also achieved some landmark in his Test cricket history.
Indian star Ravichandran Ashwin joined an elite group alongside the legendary Kapil Dev after his brilliant knock on the first day of the Test against Bangladesh. Ashwin became the fifth cricketer in history to score two centuries and take two five-wicket hauls at a single venue in Test cricket.
Before him, Kapil Dev, Ian Botham, Chris Cairns, and Gary Sobers had achieved this milestone. Both Kapil and Ashwin hold this record at Chennai, with Ashwin securing four five-wicket hauls at Chepauk compared to Kapil.
Kapil Dev – Chennai (2 centuries, 2 fifers)
Ian Botham – Leeds (2 centuries, 3 fifers)
Chris Cairns – Auckland (2 centuries, 2 fifers)
Gary Sobers – Leeds (2 centuries, 2 fifers)
R Ashwin – Chennai (2 centuries, 4 fifers)
India faced early trouble as Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were dismissed after scoring only 6 runs each, while Shubman Gill departed for a duck. However, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant played a vital role in stabilizing the innings and had a partnership of 62 runs.
Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja stepped up to rescue the team with their brilliant batting performances. Ashwin’s knock of 102 and Jadeja’s 86 revived India’s innings and their unbeaten 195-run partnership put the team in a commanding position. India reached 339/6 by the end of Day 1.
