India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin returned to action during the post-tea session on the fourth day of the third Test against England after he was forced to leave for Chennai to attend to his ailing mother. Ashwin had left for Chennai hours after picking up his 500th Test wicket during England’s first innings. After the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced that Ashwin will rejoin the team on Day 4, former head coach Ravi Shastri revealed that the board arranged a charter flight arranged a chartered plane for the player.
Shastri lauded BCCI and secretary Jay Shah for showing empathy towards Ashwin, adding that the gesture would’ve made the player feel “special”.
“The BCCI secretary Jay Shah organised a charter to take him home and bring him back. I think that’s the kind of empathy that’s needed from the BCCI as well. There are the guardians of Indian cricket and with this kind of empathy, they will go a long, long way. It also makes the players feel they belong and are special,” Ravi Shastri said during his commentary stint on Day 4 of the Rajkot Test.
Meanwhile, Ashwin did not incur any ‘Penalty time’ for his absence on the third day as per the ICC’s Playing Conditions.
As per ICC’s clause 24.3.2, “A nominated player’s absence will not incur Penalty time if, in the opinion of umpires, if the player has left the field for other wholly acceptable reason, which shall not include illness or internal injury.” Ashwin, who arrived in Rajkot on Sunday afternoon, was seen going through the drills during the tea break.
While Ashwin helped India clean England’s tail with the wicket of Tom Hartley, his 501st Test scalp, it was Ravindra Jadeja who took the ‘Man of the Match’ award.
Jadeja scored a century in the first innings and took two wickets, before adding five more scalps to his account in the second innings as India crushed England by a record 434 runs in Rajkot.
Chasing 557 for victory, England batting fell like a pack of cards to lose eight wickets in the final session and get bundled out for 122 on day four in Rajkot.
Earlier, Yashasvi Jaiswal stood out with his 214 off 236 balls to flay the opposition attack as India declared their second innings on 430-4.
