Ashwin named Man-of-the-Series
First Published : 26 Nov 2011, 01:47
Last Modified : 26 Nov 2011, 20:17
Mumbai, Nov 26: R Ashwin has been declared the Man-of-the-Series of the three-match Test series played between hosts India and West Indies. Ashwin was the clear winner of the award with 22 wickets and 121 runs in the series, which included his first ever Test century (103) in the first innings of the final Test match played here in Mumbai.
Ashwin played a key role in India’s success in this series right from the time he made his Test debut in the first match, played at Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi. In that Test, which India won by five wickets after conceding a first-innings lead of 95 runs, Ashwin finished with match figures of nine for 128. His performance, which included bowling figures of six for 47 in the West Indies second innings, deservingly won him the Man-of-the-Match award in his very first Test.
In the second Test match at Kolkata, Ashwin played more of a supporting role as India cruised to an innings and 15 runs victory. He took two wickets in both West Indies innings after India had posted a mammoth first-innings score of 631 for seven declared.
However, it was his performance with the bat in the final Test played in Mumbai that made everyone sit up and take notice. After the visitors had surprised many with their imposing first-innings score of 590 (Ashwin took five for 156), Ashwin helped India avoid the follow-on with a stirring century. Coming in to bat at the fall of MS Dhoni’s wicket, with India still needing 60 runs to avoid the follow-on, Ashwin, batting with Virat Kohli initially and the tail later on, helped India to a score of 482 with a 118-ball 103.
He followed up that effort with the bat with four wickets on the final day of the Test, which helped India bowl out the West Indies out for a mere 134 runs in their second innings.
The only disappointment for the 25-year-old was that he could not see India past the finish line in the dramatic fourth-innings chase which saw the match end in a thrilling draw with scores level.
Yet, with Ashwin’s stellar role in India’s 2-0 series win, there is much to cheer about Indian cricket’s latest Test sensation.
