‘Ashwin was just chasing milestone’: Kevin Pietersen’s explosive statement after the 2nd Test

'Ashwin was just chasing milestone': Kevin Pietersen's explosive statement after the 2nd Test

Ravichandran Ashwin is on the verge of achieving a historic milestone in Test cricket, but former England cricket great Kevin Pietersen believes the pursuit may have impacted his recent performance. Ashwin now has 499 Test wickets, putting him on the verge of reaching the prestigious 500 club, which is presently held by just Anil Kumble among Indian spinners. However, Pietersen believes the spinner's desire may have influenced his bowling during India's latest Test against England.

Despite this criticism, India's dominating performance in the second Test demonstrated the team's resilience. The hosts, led by Rohit Sharma, delivered a dominant display, with young batsmen Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill shining brilliantly. Jasprit Bumrah's outstanding speed bowling cemented his place among the world's best pacers. Meanwhile, although falling short of the milestone, experienced spinner Ashwin made an important contribution in the second innings, taking three wickets.

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"Ashwin was just chasing milestone. That's why he didn't bowl as well as he could have bowled. He did get it right on occasions. I thought he was way more threatening bowling wider outside off-stump round the wicket. I think he bowled over the wicket way too much to the right-handers. He can change bowling over-bowling around-bowling over more," Pietersen said as quoted by NDTV Sports.

"I'm certainly never going to say that he hasn't got it or the England bowlers have found him out. He is a tremendous bowler and he's got some big breakthroughs. It is about the team; it's not about the individual. He will want one more wicket and when he gets that may you'll see him a lot more relaxed, the shoulder drops and I can just now get on with the game," he added

Indian bowlers cause mayhem on Day 4 of the second Test

In a thrilling fight of bat and ball, India's bowlers triumphed, scoring a convincing 106-run victory against England in the second Test. The match was marked by ups and downs, with England starting Day 4 at 67 for one and striving for a difficult total of 399 runs. However, their aggressive batting style, known as 'Bazball', failed against India's tenacious bowling assault. Despite England's brave efforts, they were dismissed for 292 during the late afternoon session. India's valiant performance saw them take nine key wickets in two sessions, tying the five-match series 1-1.