India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has withdrawn from the third Test against England in Rajkot because of a family medical emergency.
Ashwin became just the ninth bowler and second Indian after Anil Kumble to reach 500 Test wickets on Friday when he dismissed Zak Crawley in the final session of the second day.
But just a few hours after the close of play, the Board of Cricket for Control in India announced Ashwin had immediately pulled out of the squad, with his availability for the last three days unknown.
“In these challenging times, the Board of Control for Cricket in India and the team fully supports Ashwin,” read a statement from the BCCI secretary Jay Shah.
“The BCCI extends its heartfelt support to the champion cricketer and his family. The health and well-being of the players and their loved ones are of utmost importance.
“The board requests respect for the privacy of Ashwin and his family as they navigate through this challenging time.”
A tweet from BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla added: “Wishing speedy recovery of mother of @ashwinravi99. He has to rush and leave Rajkot test to Chennai to be with his mother.”
It seems unlikely India, who have been unable to call upon star batter Virat Kohli for this five-match series because of personal reasons, will be able to replace Ashwin if he does not return in the Test.
While the MCC, the game’s lawmakers, states a player can be replaced at any point with “the consent of the opposing captain”, the World Test Championship’s regulations are more ambiguous.
The World Test Championship rules, which supersedes the laws, seems to suggest a change of player can only occur after the toss, when the teams have been named, but before play has gotten under way.
It was an eventful day for Ashwin, whose 37 in India’s 445 all out was overshadowed by him conceding five penalty runs after being found to have encroached on to the protected area of the playing surface.
England opener Ben Duckett smashed an 88-ball hundred to lead the touring team’s robust reply. His 133 not out off 118 balls, which contained two sixes and 21 fours, powered England to 2-207 on Friday at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium.
Ravi Ashwin celebrates after taking the wicket of Zak Crawley to reach his 500th milestone. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
Apart from Ashwin’s milestone moment it was a day of hard toil for India as England scored nearly at a run-a-ball.
Joe Root was still there on nine at stumps with England trailing India by 238 in the third match of the five-Test series, which is poised at 1-1.
Earlier, debutant Dhruv Jurel (46) and Ashwin (37) mounted a spirited rearguard while Jasprit Bumrah (26) provided a late cameo to take India near the 450-mark.
After India resumed on 5-326, James Anderson removed Thursday’s nightwatchman Kuldeep Yadav, caught behind for four.
Ravindra Jadeja, who completed his fourth Test hundred on day one, looked surprisingly tentative and gave a return catch to bowler Root to depart after 112, which included two sixes and nine fours.
Ashwin and Jurel frustrated England with their 77-run partnership and survived Mark Wood’s short-ball barrage with a heavily-manned leg side.
England were rather sloppy on the field and Jurel was dropped twice – first by Ollie Pope at midwicket and then by England captain Ben Stokes at leg slip.
Rehan Ahmed denied Jurel a fifty in the batter’s debut Test and Wood (4-114) dismissed Bumrah, the last Indian wicket to fall.
When England batted, Duckett initially looked ill at ease against Mohammed Siraj’s lively pace but he soon grew in confidence, racing to a 39-ball fifty but lost opening partner Zak Crawley.
Crawley attempted to sweep Ashwin only to top-edge the ball to Rajat Patidar at short fine leg.
Ashwin became the ninth bowler, and fifth spinner, to take 500 wickets.
Duckett deflated the Indian attack batting with the kind of aggression which has become the hallmark of the team under Stokes.
The 29-year-old brought up his third Test hundred with a four off Siraj.
Siraj lifted India’s sagging morale late in the final session when he trapped Pope lbw for 39. The batter was initially adjudged not out but the decision was overturned on review.
“Five hundred wickets is done and dusted now. We’ve got a game hanging in the balance,” Ashwin said afterwards. “The game is going neck and neck. We’ll have to bat and bowl well to stay in the game.”
badmanners
Roar Rookie
The Bush at no time was I "bragging", Australia away from home are pretty poor, but that pitch was really not a surface which inn any way justified a score like England posted in the 4th innings and I think we would have shown a bit more resolve. I agree the Baz/Stokes combo have made some fairly outlandish statements but at sometime or other questions will be raised about the approach and whether it should be tempered. Keeping in mind that the current India team is rather good and losing to them at home isn't totally unexpected! :happy: Generally our test pitches in Australia are flat, yes, there has been some improvement (Melbourne :thumbup: ) but Perth doesn't in anyway resemble it's reputation, Brisbane is "usually" a good wicket, Adelaide doesn't turn like it used to on the last few days and they have to leave extra grass on it so the pink ball doesn't loose it's colour to quick, the last Hobart Ashes pitch was too juicy for a day/night game by far, and Sydney (And I'm from there) is just rubbish. You have more optimism re our batting than I do, I think they have been under-performing for some time, (Good innings from Smith in the last WI test) but we don't have anyone in the SS banging on the door saying pick me, so I don't see things changing too much in the near future. And from that I don't think it was the pitches stopping us from big scores this season just gone, it was our poor batting. Anyways, looking forward to the "entertainment" the next 2 India-England tests are bound to provide! :thumbup:
Sgt Pepperoni
Roar Rookie
It's beyond belief
Buster
Roar Rookie
I'm concerned that if Bairstow continues his current form he might not be selected for the ashes down under. Surely Australian crowds deserve a chance to cheer on their favourite English player, especially now that Broad has retired
Buster
Roar Rookie
I think its hard to know what Root's form is. If he just put away the bazball shots he's probably ok. Out sweeping and reverse sweeping too many times ...maybe if he just plays test cricket and leaves the bazball for the others he will be ok
The Bush
Roar Guru
I think Duckett now averages over 40 pretty comfortably. England do need Root to find consistency again, because pretty much the rest of the batting line up is hit or miss, especially Stokes and Crawley (more hit than miss for Stokes, other way round for Crawley). It's all well and good to do that if you've got good anchors at 3 and 4, but Pope isn't quite there yet and Root seems very out of form.
The Bush
Roar Guru
Maybe because they showed no appetite to hang tough? As I said, the fact they didn't do this might be amusing, but I really don't think there's a reason to brag that Australia would have dug in a bit longer and scrapped to some other meaningless score nowhere near 500. Their best chance of winning the test was on the third morning, they needed to bat long and build a lead. That collapse was what cost them any chance in the test, though obviously they could have given themselves a remote chance if they bowled a lot better and fielder better in the second innings. Mind you, India seems to have found a superstar opener here that won't be stopped. should be a cause for a bit of introspection Stokes and Baz have been very clear - there will be no introspection under their watch, only supreme confidence and a total 'back yourself without question' approach. Some of their quotes during the last Ashes made this abundantly clear and were, frankly, mind boggling. And, just quietly, I think bazball might work very well in Australia on our mostly featureless pitches. When you say featureless, is that because you say they've lost their uniqueness? Or are you implying they're flat? Because I really don't think it's fair to say that Australia has been dishing up flat pitches over the last few summers. We didn't crack 500 once this summer and after Pakistan got their head in the game after the first day of the Perth test, Australia never looked like getting anywhere near a monster score again. We also didn't produce monster scores against the Windies. The curators would be doing us a disservice putting up roads in 18 months time, because that'll play into England's hands. We'd be much better served with what we had this summer, as I'd back Smith, Labuschagne and Head to get a few scores in tougher wickets over this England line up (especially as Root has never succeeded in Australia).
Buster
Roar Rookie
yep agree with that assessment. Actually apart from Root I think all of the top 6 average less than 40
badmanners
Roar Rookie
Maybe because they showed no appetite to hang tough? It wasn't a bad pitch by Indian standards especially compared to a couple we faced last year. I have no problem with the full throttle approach England are using, it suits the skill set of their current group of players but that score in the last innings which they constantly talk themselves up as "We'll chase down any score" should be a cause for a bit of introspection, and if so, they may well become the team they show the potential of being. And, just quietly, I think bazball might work very well in Australia on our mostly featureless pitches. I suspect the pitches will be a bit juicier than the norm to counteract this.
The Bush
Roar Guru
I'm not a fan of this new England team, but let's be honest, why does the size of the win matter? They were never going to chase it down, so why would anyone brag that their team might have scored a few more and gotten 'closer'? The fact that absolutely no one posted a score is both amusing for Aussies and humiliating, but I dunno if I'd brag that we'd have at least plodded along to 200+ and then fallen... Maybe England will turn it around next test, and India are theoretically vulnerable with so many top players out. But, the inevitable cracks are starting to show in this England line up; Crawley is unreliable at best, Root is badly out of form, Bairstow is not as good as his purple patch in 2022 suggested and they have no spinners. So you're left with an over-reliance on a couple of batsmen, a middle aged seam bowler and Mark Wood. Good luck with that...
The Bush
Roar Guru
I know there's the whole 'keeping' thing to factor in, but if you actually look at Bairstow's career record, it's really not pretty. Crushes 2022 but other than that, he averaged 58 in a bumper year in 2016 and averaged 40.25 last year with no centuries. Prior to 2022, his last century was in 2018. At 34 and looking at his returns of late, England would be mad to drop Foakes when Brooke returns. I'd be putting Stokes down to six and letting Johnny enjoy some retirement pies.
Doctor Rotcod
Roar Rookie
The greatest quote in the history of cricket. “I have an unbelievable belief in myself.” Ben Stokes, February 16,2024.
qwetzen
Roar Rookie
Possibly because the poms don't bat like the Aussies against spin. ie rabbits in the spotlight.
badmanners
Roar Rookie
The self proclaimed "Saviours Of Cricket" might have to have a serious think about there approach to tests, there's no way Australia would have chased down that 4th innings but on that pitch I'd back us to score more than 122.
jammel
Roar Rookie
I'm expecting Bairstow to be "rested" :) :)
Buster
Roar Rookie
Jonny Bairstow big improvement from first innings
Sgt Pepperoni
Roar Rookie
Bairstow is a walking wicket
Buster
Roar Rookie
doesn't look like he will be required
Dwanye
Roar Rookie
Tell him his dreamin
badmanners
Roar Rookie
The Roar will have to alter the heading for this article, Ashwin will returning to play in this test. Probably not what England wanted to hear.
Buster
Roar Rookie
where is bazball? RR 2 per over