Pragyan Ojha complimented the Indian duo of Virat Kohli and R Ashwin for their 96-run stand for the seventh wicket on the turning track and said that it was not surprising to see the criticism of the Chennai pitch but Ashwin and Kohli showed to play in these kinds of conditions.
Indian cricket team on account of Rohit Sharma’s 161 piled up massive 329 runs in the first innings and then R Ashwin’s five-wicket haul helped Team India wrap visitors for just 134 in their first innings.
However, as visitors were bundled out for 134 runs many English pundits criticized the Chennai pitch and compared the surface at Chepauk to a beach, and said that conditions were unacceptable to Test match cricket.
IND v ENG 2021: Michael Vaughan calls Chennai pitch 'beach' after threat for batsmen from Day 1
Batting in the second inning Team India was in a sort of trouble as they found themselves tumbling at 106/6.
But Virat Kohli along with talismanic off-spinner R Ashwin joined hands and together stitched 96 runs stand until Virat Kohli was trapped in LBW by Moeen Ali. R Ashwin however, continued to bat and registered his fifth Test-ton on the day 3 on a turning Chennai track.
Reflecting on the same former Indian spinner Pragyan Ojha lauded the duo of Virat Kohli and R Ashwin and said that the duo showed how to play in these kinds of conditions.
"They [Ashwin and Kohli] showed how you have to play in these kinds of conditions. They were showing what kind of control they had over their mind," Pragyan Ojha told Sports today.
Ojha while praising R Ashwin's all-round performance in the game also pointed out how Virat Kohli learned from his dismissal in the first innings and played with an angled bat to negate the turn. According to him, the duo of Kohli and Ashwin showed its survival of the fittest in such conditions.
"With the bat also, Ashwin showed it. He said 'Boss, if you apply yourself, if you put your mind and heart into it, you will also get the hundred in the same game. Virat Kohli, the way he adapted to the situation... the first innings he got out to Moeen Ali, an off-spinner's dream delivery.
IND v ENG 2021: Cricket fraternity reacts in awe as R Ashwin slams 106 on a difficult Chennai track
“But in this innings, he was shuffling, trying to get close to the ball and negate the turn against the off-spinner. Against Jack Leach, he was not shuffling to the off-stump, he was playing with an angled bat so that he could negate the turn.
"You need to adapt. It's all about who adapts best, the survival of the fittest and that's what our boys showed. They showed it to the world," he said.
Though criticism of the Chennai wicket for the 2nd Test continues unabated, Pragyan Ojha while addressing the same said that criticism of pitch was not surprising and added that that the beauty of Test cricket lies in adapting to difficult conditions.
"It's not surprising, they were a few people making comments. They get more traction when they comment because Indian cricket is followed vastly. Test cricket, you have to play on every surface. On a green surface, you find your own technique, apply and then score runs." he concluded.
Chasing a mammoth target of 482 runs, visitors left themselves in a spot of bother as R Ashwin and Akshar Patel combined to take 3 English wickets for 53 runs at stumps on day 3.
(Sports Today Inputs)
