Ravichandran Ashwin sounded warning bells for England’s batsmen ahead of the five-Test series, with a brilliant 6 for 27 spell as Surrey bundled Somerset for 69 in their second innings of the English County Championship competition.
Looking to get in some quality match practice before joining the Indian team in Durham on Thursday, Ashwin has done more than enough with 58 overs under his belt and a match hall of 7 for 127. If the first innings was used to build up the bowling workload and hitting good areas, the second innings was more about showing off your skills with the opposition batsmen with the famous carrom ball.
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In fact, the veteran off-spinner bowled 15 unchanged overs with the new Duke and drew able support from left-arm spinner Dan Moriarty, who took 4 for 20 as Somerset scored 429 runs in his first essay in just 29.1 overs I got all out for 69 runs. After Surrey were all out for 240, adding just one run to their overnight score of 239 for eight. Surrey are now chasing a target of 258 runs.
The script completely changed in the second innings as Ashwin ran through the opposition, using the carrom ball and off-break judiciously along with getting enough drift. Left-handed opener Steven Davis conceded a run to wicketkeeper Jamie Smith, while Jaden Clarke caught Tom Lamonby. Captain and first-innings century scorer James Hildreth was dismissed plumb at the front for missing a straighter.
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The difference from the first innings was the extra bounce that Ashwin got off the pitch and one such flighty delivery, turned into a shed and bounced enough to fool George Bartlett, who took up arms.
Only three Somerset batsmen reached double figures. Ashwin’s performance is a welcome sign for skipper Virat Kohli, who wants his premier spinner to be in peak form during the Test series beginning on August 4.
The opposition will also be on alert and Surrey skipper Rory Burns will certainly provide input with rival left-arm spinner Jack Leach.
The Indian contingent will gather in Durham where they will play a three-day match against the United Counties (Select County XI) from July 20-22.
There is a possibility that the match could be extended by three to four days in case of inclement weather.
With 58 overs under Ashwin’s belt, the Indian management may check on other bowlers during that game.
Players will undergo another round of RT-PCR testing after entering the bubble after a 20-day break following the World Test Championship final against New Zealand.
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