NEW DELHI: Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin led India’s surge to victory on the third day of the first Test against England in Hyderabad by dismissing their captain Ben Stokes.
After bowling out India for 436, England were 140/4 at the dismissal of Jonny Bairstow when Stokes arrived at the crease.
With the situation demanding to stay at the wicket, Stokes was cautious in his strokpelay and England’s first innings top-scorer had scored just 6 runs when Ashwin struck.
Ashwin tossed up a delivery on the middle, the ball hit the top and disturbed the surface, the length drew Stokes forward, but it then gripped and turned past the outside edge – crashing into the off-stump.
Stokes had the line covered and then played the perfect looking defensive push, but was undone by a piece of magic, much to the delight of Ashwin, his teammates and the Hyderabad crowd.
This is the 12th instance (in 25 innings) that Ashwin dismissed Stokes in Test cricket – the most by the bowler.
Ashwin also equalled the record of the great Kapil Dev of an Indian bowler dismissing a batter most often in Tests. Kapil Dev had dismissed Mudassar Nazar of Pakistan 12 times in Test cricket.
The Indian cricket board (BCCI) uploaded the video of the dismissal on X: