‘Cheering Like When You Get a Hundred At Lords’: Ravi Shastri’s Playful Take on Chepauk Crowd Relishing Ravichandran Ashwin’s Fifty Against Bangladesh – News18

Not many are spared by the likes of the ‘tracer bullet-like’ wit of Ravi Shastri, and such was the case for the Chepauk faithful, who were left in awe of their hometown hero, Ravichandran Ashwin’s innings against Bangladesh in Chennai on Thursday.

Playing their first Test out of three against Bangladesh, India started off Day 1 on a bit of a shaky note, losing top-order batters Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli in quick succession to pacer Hasan Mahmud, who wreaked havoc.

Up next was Jaiswal and Pant, who added 62 runs for the fourth wicket to help India recover from three early blows. Yashasvi Jaiswal scored a solid half-century but India lost three wickets in the second session to slip to 176/6 when tea was taken on Day 1 of the first Test in Chennai.

Just when Bangladesh thought they had India figured out Ravichandran Ashwin stepped in and changed the game.

Ashwin, alongisde compatriot Ravindra Jadeja, got off to a blistering start, whacking boundaries out the gate, as he stood tall in front of the Bangladesh pacers.

The Chennai-born spin wizard would then bamboozle the opposition with the bat, playing confident strikes and adding on the runs.

Before they knew it, the hometown hero came up with a solid half-century which included some awe-inspiring selection of shots that elicited nods of approval and disbelief among the partisan crowd and the Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir.

Shastri, who was on commentary, observed the crowds of Chepauk rejoice and relish the spinner’s fifty and had a playful take on their joy.

“When you play in front of your home crowd, it’s extra motivation for you to do well. And there is no better feeling than reaching a landmark fifty,” stated Shastri in commentary.

“Look at them, that cheering is like when you get a hundred at Lord’s and walk into the long room. There’s a glass in hand and that’s the way they applaud. Well done on you.”

Ashwin would only go on to illicit even more raucous applause throughout the rest of the day, as the spinner work work his way to a fantastic unbeaten century.

The hometown hero’s 102, peppered with 10 fours and 2 sixes, was his sixth in Indian whites, as the all-rounder revived the Indian innings with the help of Ravindra Jadeja (83*) as the duo put up a 195-run stand to take India to 339/6 at the end of Day 1.