Ravichandran Ashwin produced a couple of magical moments on the final session of the second day’s play in the third India versus New Zealand Test match at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.
During the 28th over of New Zealand’s second innings, Ashwin showcased his fielding prowess with a remarkable sideways running catch to dismiss the dangerous Daryl Mitchell.
Mitchell came down the track to loft Ravindra Jadeja, but didn’t get the desired connection as the ball went up high in the air.
Ashwin, who was stationed at mid-off, sprinted at full tilt and covered considerable ground. He then turned sideways to stay side-on and finally extended his hands to complete a stunning diving catch.
Here’s the video:
Five overs later, Ashwin displayed his brilliance with the ball to get rid of Glenn Phillips, who was batting on 26 off 14 balls. The off-spinner bamboozled Phillips with a carrom ball which knocked over latter’s off-stump.
Here’s the video:
Coming to the match, India took a handy first innings lead of 28 runs on Day 2, thanks to half-centuries from Shubman Gill (90) and Rishabh Pant (60).
In the second innings, the Kiwi batting line-up crumbled and went to the stumps with 171/9 on the board, leading India by 143 runs.
On Day 3, the hosts will look to take the remaining one wicket as quicky as possible and chase down the target to finish the already lost series on a high, at 2-1.