Veteran Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin enjoyed another fine day at the office and added some more feather to his already illustrious hat. He took a sensational five-wicket haul in the second Test at the MA Chidambaram Stadium as England got bundled out for 134 in their first innings. Stuart Broad was Ashwin’s fifth victim, and by dismissing him, the talismanic off-spinner became the first bowler ever to dismiss 200 left-handed batsmen in Test cricket. The southpaws tend to struggle against the off-break bowlers as the ball tends to spin away from them. However, Ashwin’s dominance against the lefties has been at a different level altogether.  India vs England Score Updates 2nd Test 2021 Day 2.

Ashwin has been a cornerstone of the Indian Test team ever since making his debut in the format in 2011. While he has tormented the best of batsmen, the left-handers have been his favourite targets. In fact, the list of his bunnies includes some of the big names in world cricket. Australia’s David Warner fell prey to him ten times while former England captain Alastair Cook and all-rounder Ben Stokes were dismissed nine times by the Chennai-born bowler. Ravi Ashwin Displaces Harbhajan Singh as India’s Second-Highest Wicket-Taker in Home Tests.

Ravi Ashwin's 29th Five-Wicket Haul!!

Notably, Ashwin is now just nine wickets short of becoming the fourth Indian bowler to take 400 Test wickets. Going by his recent form, the off-spinner should comfortably achieve the milestone by the end of the fourth Test.

Coming back to the Chennai Test, the home side are well on command after earning a substantial 223-run lead in the first innings. With more than three days left in the game, India have enough time to win the game, and they should look to post a daunting target for the visitors.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 14, 2021 04:06 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).