During India's last tour of Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2020-21, Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin paired with middle-order batter Hanuma Vihari on the last day of the Sydney Test at a crucial time and saved India from losing the game and stay levelled 1-1 in the series.
Standing rock solid in front of Australia’s bowling attack, they added an unbeaten 62-run stand off 259 deliveries to earn a draw for India. They later revealed the physical pain they had to go through during their partnership.
Vihari got a hamstring injury while batting, and Ashwin was down with severe back pain. Despite the pain, Ashwin showed resilience and ultimately saved the match for India, scoring 39* off 128 balls.
Speaking to ANI, Ashwin recalled his struggle during the game and how he crawled himself to the field after his wife and kids helped him stand.
"It was surprising to me that I went bowling after the injury with painkillers. And bowled 13 or 14 over on the trot. It was so bad I was rolling on the floor because of the pain. My wife and kids helped me to stand and then the Physio came to check me. I went to the game crawling, but did my best," the 35-year-old said.
Remembering how he and Vihari came up with a strategy to save the game, Ashwin added, "We both got comfortable the instant we went in. We realised what problem we had, he could not come forward and be going on the backfoot. He was struggling from the hamstring injury. When I went to the crease I could not go forward against the fast bowlers. So in that situation, I said we will rotate and see how this will work."
India then went on to win at Brisbane and their 2-1 series win against the hosts, Australia, was one of the most heroic feats in the history of Test cricket.
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The Virat Kohli-led Indian team was bundled for 36 runs, their lowest ever total in a Test innings in the first Test, and lost the game by 8 wickets, after which Kohli flew back to India to attend the birth of his first child.
With Kohli gone and many senior cricketers ruled out due to injuries, Ajinkya Rahane led the team from the front, as India went on to give birth to one of the most historic Test series victories ever, winning the series 2-1.
(ANI inputs)
