'Jadeja Was Telling Me...': Ton-up Ashwin Reveals Secret Behind 195-Run Stand Against Bangladesh to Keep India Afloat

Veteran all-rounder, Ravichandran Ashwin once again displayed his class with the willow as he brought up his sixth Test century which he scored against Bangladesh on Day 1 of the first Test that took place in his hometown in Chennai on Thursday.

Despite the quick start to his innings, there was a period where the 38-year-old was being tested physically as he got tired later on in the innings.

But his partner in crime, Ravindra Jadeja came to his aid when the southpaw took the initiative and also recognised the situation and chose to accommodate his partner in the middle.

“He was of real help. There was a point in time where I was sweating, perspiring and getting a bit tired and he had to have noticed it quickly enough and you know guided me through that phase,” Ashwin shared in an interaction with JioCinema at the end of Day 1.

Hailing his batting partner, Ashwin also revealed that Jadeja reduced the amount of running between the wickets at that stage which proved to be beneficial for the batter.

The senior duo were out in the middle in a precarious position with six wickets down and the pair being the last decent batters left in the Indian 11. Soaking in the Chennai atmosphere, the Indra-Chandra combo stood strong against a potent Bangladesh pace-attack and opted to go after the spinners.

Ashwin shared, “It helps with such a temperament and Jaddu, you know, as you know, has been one of the best batters for our team in the last few years and him being there, pretty solid. Also, he was very helpful in terms of telling me that we don’t have to convert the twos into threes which was useful for me”.

Now both Ashwin and Jadeja end the first day’s play unbeaten and on a partnership worth 195 runs. The former would be looking to carry on while the latter will also be looking to hit the triple-figure mark as well taking India to a massive first-innings total.

But with the new ball available at the start of Day 2, the Bangladeshi pacers, Hasan Mahmud could also be eyeing a fifer to help end India’s batting innings on a quick note.