'Batsmen don't get out anymore' - Ravichandran Ashwin downplays India's inability to dismiss the lower-order

Some things in life fail to change and the inability of the Indian bowlers to dislodge the lower-order of the opposition is one of them. The third day of the first Test at the Basin Reserve in Wellington was just another testification of the aforementioned fact. India had started off the day on a brilliant note with Jasprit Bumrah and Ishant Sharma dislodging BJ Watling and Tim Southee within the first half-hour.

But then, similar woes resurfaced as Kyle Jamieson [44] and Trent Boult [38] defied the Indian bowlers with gritty knocks to swell the lead to match-winning proportions. This is not the first time it has happened, and by the looks of the current situation, it certainly wouldn’t be the last.

This is a problem that has plagued Indian cricket for generations and even though the current fast bowling unit has emerged as one of the best in the world, they still face the same issue, as was encountered by their predecessors.

Ashwin opens up on India’s issues in dislodging the tail

Since 2018, India has used an average of 101 balls to dislodge the lower-order which is comfortably the highest in the world. However, Ravichandran Ashwin downplayed the suggestions that India has any issues in dismissing the tail. The ace off-spinner suggested that the lower-order batsman put a high price on their wickets these days, something which doesn’t use to be the case in the past.

“I think sometimes we pay too much (attention) to saying we need to bowl out teams far quicker. I am not saying we shouldn’t. But batsmen don’t get out anymore. Lower-order batsmen put a price on their wickets. If you were on true wicket, sometime 20-25 years ago, you will probably end up with a fifer,” Ashwin told the media after the third day’s play as quoted by India Today.

He added– “Nowadays… Jamieson… I think he has got a couple of 1st-class hundreds, if I am not wrong. His name… Patel, he can bat well. You have got to give credit where it’s due. They understand these conditions really well and they use it to their advantage. They try and hit it with the wind. That’s something we should learn quickly from them.” Meanwhile, Ashwin will have a job with the bat on the fourth day as India aim to get a sizeable lead.

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