Ashwin to rejoin Indian team for last two days of Rajkot Test
Source: X
37-year-old veteran Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin will rejoin the Indian cricket team in Rajkot for the last two days of the ongoing third Test against England, the Indian Cricket Board has confirmed. He reached his milestone of 500th wicket on Day 2 before he left the city because of personal reasons and missed the third day’s play entirely.
Ashwin had taken his 500th wicket in Test cricket with the dismissal of England’s opening batter Zak Crawley on the second day of the Rajkot Test. He attended the press conference after the play. The news of Ashwin having left the team came at 11 pm IST and became public via a statement from the Indian Cricket Board.
Indian Cricket Board confirms that Ashwin will come back in action on Day 4
“The Indian Cricket Board is pleased to announce the return of R Ashwin to the squad after a brief absence due to a family emergency,” the Indian Cricket Board said in a statement. “Both R Ashwin and the team management are pleased to confirm that he will be back in action on Day 4 and will continue to contribute towards the team’s cause in the ongoing Test match. Ashwin and his family kindly request privacy as they navigate through these challenging times.”
Ashwin could be in Rajkot by tea break according to ESPNcricinfo. Ravichandran Ashwin will be available to bowl as soon as he is needed. He spent an entire day off the field. It depends on the umpire, they can waive the requirement of penalty time if they feel the player was off the field for “other wholly acceptable reasons, which shall not include illness or internal injury,” according to the match conditions.
England started on 207 for 2 in 35 overs at the start of Day 3, in response to India’s decent first-innings total of 445, with left-handed opener Ben Duckett scoring 133 with an eye-catching strike rate. Despite Ashwin’s absence, India fought back. Indian bowlers took eight wickets for 112 runs on the third day to secure a healthy first-innings lead of 126. Mohammed Siraj took his 4-fer for 84 runs. Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja took two wickets each.
India’s score was 197/2 at the end of day 3. Rohit Sharma and Rajat Patidar went to the pavilion cheaply, while Yashasvi Jaiswal scored 104 before he retired hurt with a back spasm. Shubman Gill was unbeaten on 65 with the night watchman Kuldeep Yadav.
