Old lady celebrates in stands as R Ashwin brings up his 6th Test ton© X (Twitter)
Registering his second successive century at home, Ravichandran Ashwin played a rescue knock for the Indian cricket team after Bangladesh delivered a top-order collapse on Day 1 of the first Test at Chepauk. Ashwin played a counter-attacking knock on a tricky red soil pitch where Bangladesh pacers ran riot, especially in the first session. Ashwin registered his name in history books as he orchestrated a brilliant partnership with Ravindra Jadeja, to take India past the 300-run mark on Day 1. While the entire stadium was on its feet as Ashwin reached the tiple-digit score, it was an elderly lady in the stands who won everyone's heart.
Ashwin notched up his 6th Test hundred, strengthening his case as an all-rounder while also being one of the legends of the game with the ball in his hand. In a video shared by the BCCI on social media, an alderly lady could be seen clapping for the India star while also holding two tea cups in her hands.
— BCCI (@BCCI) September 19, 2024
Ashwin, speaking after the end of Day 1, narrated the strategy he opted for that enabled him to score an aggressive ton at Chepauk.
"It's an old Chennai surface with a bit of bounce and carry. The red soil pitch allows you to play a few shots if you are willing to just get in line and give it a bit of a tonk when there's width," Ashwin said after the match.
"Of course, I have always been wafting my bat around outside off-stump. Worked on a few things and on a surface like this with a bit of spice, if you're going after the ball, might as well go after it really hard like Rishabh does."
Rishabh Pant too batted well for his 39 off 52 balls before falling to a loose stroke.
On a day India lost their top-four for 96, Ashwin showed remarkable control and dominated the Bangladesh bowling in his brilliant 102 not out from 112 balls in a gritty rearguard effort, while forging an unbroken partnership with Ravindra Jadeja (86*).
Ashwin attributed his strong performance to his recent stint in the Tamil Nadu Premier League, where he worked on his batting. "It helps that I've come back after a T20 tournament (TNPL). I worked quite a bit on my batting," he said.
"It's always a special feeling to play in front of the home crowd. This is a ground I completely love to play cricket in. It's given me a lot of wonderful memories," Ashwin, who slammed his second hundred at this venue, said.
Ashwin also lauded the support he got from his teammate Jadeja during a challenging phase of the innings.
"He (Jadeja) was of real help. There was a point in time where I was sweating and getting a bit tired. Jaddu noticed it quickly and guided me through that phase," Ashwin said, praising Jadeja's ability to offer crucial advice at the right moment.
"Jaddu has been one of our best batters for the team in the last few years. His presence was solid, and his advice that we didn't have to convert twos into threes was really helpful for me."
With PTI Inputs