Twitter Reactions: Ravichandran Ashwin bags 6 as Kiwis fumble yet again

India’s leading bowler Ravichandran Ashwin was the tough nut to negotiate for the visiting New Zealand side yet again. The Kiwis started off with a big roar. Their openers looked in ominous touch. Half centuries from Tom Latham and Martin Guptill at the top gave a solid foundation. However, it was R Ashwin who did the trick for India yet again. Ashwin not only made his bowling do the talking, he inflicted a couple of run outs too.

New Zealand openers had earlier put on 118 runs for the opening stand before Latham was caught and bowled by Ashwin. Ashwin managed to get the better off New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson yet again. Ross Taylor and Luke Ronchi managed to get ducks infront of their names on the scorecard. Ashwin was the beneficiary yet again and Ajinkya Rahane completed good catches in the slips on both occasions.

In the meantime, he had also managed to get a feather touch to the ball that rolled down the pitch to hit the stumps. The result being Martin Guptill dismissed on 72. James Neesham looked good in his first impression as a batsman on the Indian soil. His gutsy 71 gave some impetus to the New Zealand batting but it couldn’t be enough for the team to be out of danger. Ashwin kept spinning his web around the Kiwi batsmen.

Neesham became Ashwin’s 5th wicket of the innings as Ashwin bagged 20th 5 wicket haul of his Test career. Ashwin now has 20 five-wicket hauls to his name in just 39 Test matches.

Also read – IND v NZ, 3rd Test Day 3 Tea Review: R Ashwin leads Indian fightback

Ashwin then ran out Jeetan Patel in similar fashion when he got a finger tickle on the ball as Matt Henry hit straight down the pitch. He bagged his 6th wicket by dismissing Trent Boult as New Zealand could manage just 299 in response to India’s 557/5 decl. R Ashwin bagged 6/81 as New Zealand were bowled out for 299 in their first Innings.

India looked thoroughly in command of the match at the half way stage. Here are some of the best tweets after the New Zealand innings:

Ashwin claims his 6th wicket as BLACKCAPS all out for 299. Deficit is 258 runs. India are going to bat with 6 overs left in day #INDvNZ ^WN pic.twitter.com/zNlE2JNagh

— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) October 10, 2016

4 of the 5 five-wicket hauls by Ashwin against NZ have been in fact 6-wkt hauls. #IndvsNZ

— Bharath Seervi (@SeerviBharath) October 10, 2016

Well done @ashwinravi99 ??Keep it up? #indvsnz @BCCI

— VVS Laxman (@VVSLaxman281) October 10, 2016

Ashwin is so unbelievably lethal in Tests at home. No one even comes close. Another fantastic spell. #indvsnz pic.twitter.com/cUoSnnNari

— Sonali Dhulap (@pillya) October 10, 2016

Most Test 6WIs for India:
19 Kumble
13 Harbhajan
9 Chandra Kapil ASHWIN#INDvNZ

— Abhishek Mukherjee (@ovshake42) October 10, 2016

Ashwin has been involved in 8 dismissals

Guptill
Latham
Williamson
Taylor
Ronchi
Neesham
Jeetan
Boult

New Zealand 299 all out!#INDvNZ

— Cricbuzz (@cricbuzz) October 10, 2016

So Gambhir is now injured? Still off the field after landing awkwardly on shoulder. This is proper lolz. #INDvNZ

— Abhishek (@absycric) October 10, 2016

India plays a test match, Ashwin gets five wickets. That's pretty much the current scenario. ????

— Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) October 10, 2016

20th five-wicket haul for Ashwin Ravi in Tests. #INDvsNZ pic.twitter.com/nLcBNOih7M

— CricTracker (@Cricketracker) October 10, 2016

And of course the inevitable questions around follow-on. Don't think VK will even think of it with just 4 bowlers.#INDvsNZ #INDvNZ

— Suneer (@suneerchowdhary) October 10, 2016

.@JimmyNeesh was definitely not out.
Excellent innings. Just stay fit.#INDvNZ

— Abhishek Mukherjee (@ovshake42) October 10, 2016

What an exceptional cricketer @ashwinravi99 has become, another 5+ wicket haul, 20th time he has achieved this feat. #INDvNZ #classact

— Tom Moody (@TomMoodyCricket) October 10, 2016

Virat at it again… getting the crowd worked up… #IndvNZ

— Chetan Narula (@chetannarula) October 10, 2016

Ishant Sharma – 72 matches, 209 wickets.

Ravichandran Ashwin – 39 matches, 211 wickets.#INDvNZ

— Nikhil Mane ??? (@nikhiltait) October 10, 2016

R Ashwin (211) has just gone past Ishant Sharma's 209 wkts. He is now in 8th position in the all time Test wicket-takers for India#IndvNZ

— Mohandas Menon (@mohanstatsman) October 10, 2016

Almost like Ashwin would take all ten today. Only if that run-out hadn't happened. #INDvNZ

— Anand Subramaniam (@28anand) October 10, 2016

Oh dear. Guptill has to depart for 72 after he's run out by the bowler's finger, off a Ronchi return drive. Sad way to go. 148-4 #INDvNZ ^WN

— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) October 10, 2016

Taylor has had no clue against Ashwin this #INDvNZ series, plays for the turn, the ball goes straight on and finds the edge, OUT for 0

— Cricbuzz (@cricbuzz) October 10, 2016