The SG Test ball apparently softened more quickly than usual and created problems with bounce for both pacers and spinners. Earlier, Jasprit Bumrah had expressed similar issues with the ball, saying it was difficult to extract reverse swing.
Addressing the press conference after Day 4, Ravichandran Ashwin attributed the early scraping of the ball to the hardness of the Chepauk wicket.
Nevertheless, Ravichandran Ashwin made the best possible use of the wearing ball and the crumbling wicket. The off-spinner picked up nine wickets in the match, including a six-wicket haul in England’s second innings.
“Washington Sundar is quite a special batsman” - Ravichandran Ashwin
In addition to his contribution with the ball, Ravichandran Ashwin also shared a crucial 80-run stand with Washington Sundar (85*) in India’s first innings. Sundar batted flawlessly, playing classy shots against the likes of James Anderson and Jofra Archer.
Ravichandran Ashwin, who scored 31 himself, talked about his partnership with Sundar and called the 21-year-old southpaw a ‘fantastic’ and underrated batsman.
India face a herculean task on Tuesday. The hosts, who have nine wickets remaining, have to score 381 more runs to win or bat out 90 overs for a draw on a crumbling Chennai pitch.
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