Courtesy: X
India thrashed Bangladesh by seven wickets in the second Test at the Green Park in Kanpur on day five, Tuesday, October 1, to clinch the two-match Test series by 2-0. After taking a lead of 52 runs in the first innings, India bowled Bangladesh out for 146 runs in the second innings. Following that, the hosts chased the winning target in 17.2 overs losing three wickets. Shortly after the conclusion of the match, Ravichandran Ashwin heaped praise on Indian skipper Rohit Sharma for ‘walking the talk’ in the first innings as India were able to take a lead quickly with their high-risk play with the bat.
For the unversed, Ravichandran Ashwin was adjudged player of the series for his all-round performance for India in the two-match Test series against Bangladesh. The 38-year-old scored 114 runs with the bat, and took 14 wickets with the ball in the two Tests. With this, Ashwin also equaled Muttiah Muralitharan’s record of winning most player of the series awards (11) in Test. Ashwin took three wickets in the second innings as India bowled Bangladesh out for 146 runs.
We knew it was going to be 'Jaisball' time: R Ashwin on India’s batting in first innings
After no play for two and half days due to rain and wet outfield, the match was widely expected to end in a draw as only two days were left. However, India bowled Bangladesh out for 233 runs in the first innings at the start of day four, to keep all the three results possible. Then, Indian batters made several records with the bat as they posted 285/9 in just 34.4 overs in their first innings with their aggressive mindset. After the match, Ravichandran Ashwin gave credit to Rohit Sharma for leading from the front with his quickfire 23(11) runs, as the other players also went on to follow the same attacking approach while batting.
"Talking is one, but when you see the captain walking the talk, it's like he has not played one ball down the surface. He moved away, stepped out and tonked the first one for a six. We knew it was going to be 'Jaisball' time. We knew he was going to play that way. And when Rohit does that, showing everybody 'you know what we are going for, it's not about me wanting to score," Ravichandran Ashwin was quoted as saying about the Indian batting approach in the first innings by India Today.
"You don't have a choice, but follow it. Even if you are tired, if you want to just take your time, you feel like 'hey you know what, look at what he did. 3 overs and 50 runs'. You can't sit back from that point. That is the most defining point - talking about it is one and executing it is a different kettle of fish. That's what Rohit did," he further added.
