From Pune To Rawalpindi, Offspinners Unleash Mayhem With 17 Wickets on Day 1 – News18

Last Updated:October 24, 2024, 19:35 IST

It was a day to remember for off-spinners who were dominating under the subcontinental conditions.

It was a day to remember for the spinners as they managed to dominate their respective games in the subcontinent on Thursday.

India was up against New Zealand in the second Test of the three-match series at Pune, Maharashtra while Pakistan took on England in the series-deciding third Test at Rawalpindi respectively.

For India, it was the off-spin pair of Washington Sundar and Ravichandran Ashwin who cleaned up the Kiwi batters for 259 runs. The former racked up his best bowling figures in the longest format with 7/59 while Ashwin played the supporting role with 3/64 as well.

Sundar made his return to the Test team since 2021 and proved the selectors’ call to be the right one with a breathtaking bowling performance against the Kiwis. He took advantage of the turning conditions to ensure that the batters were constantly guessing whether the ball would turn or not. As a result, he has now become the first bowler to pick up a fifer in the Maharashtra Cricket Stadium in Pune.

Coming to the Pakistan vs England Test, the pair of Sajid Khan cleaned up most of the English batting unit who were bundled out for 267. Pakistan finished with figures of 6/128 having bowled 29.2 overs. For England, it was Shoaib Bashir who finished with the singular wicket of Abdullah Shafique while giving away 29 runs in his eight overs as well.

Both Sajid and Noman were not a part of the Test team until after Pakistan’s hammering loss in the first Test. The Pakistan selectors took a drastic call to rest the big-name stars like Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah in hopes that the spin duo can get the job done instead. The spin pair’s inclusion was the right one as they cleaned up the English batters in the second Test with all 20 wickets between each other and Pakistan will hope that the pair can continue their run of good form.

Both India and Pakistan have gone for a spin-heavy bowling attack for their respective games and the move returned positive gains for both teams as well, taking the most advantage of playing in the subcontinental conditions, which have historically been one for the spinners.

But now the challenge is on the respective batting units to take advantage of the home conditions to ensure that they can take a first-innings lead in hopes that their side can put themselves on track to take a crucial victory.

India is trailing 0-1 in the three-match affair and a win will be essential to help maintain their long-standing series-winning streak at home. For Pakistan they are currently level in the three-match series and the final Test will decide whether the hosts can break out of their losing streak and help get back to winning ways.