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Following India‘s thrilling six-run victory over England in the final Test at The Oval, veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin provided a unique and insightful perspective on what he believes was the defining moment of the entire series.
Ravichandran Ashwin picks the defining moment of the ENG vs IND Test series
Speaking on his YouTube channel, ‘Ash ki baat’, Ashwin made a powerful statement, saying that the entire series was best defined by a single photograph. He was referring to the moment on Day 4 of the fifth Test when pace bowler Prasidh Krishna was captured in a state of simultaneous celebration and frustration. This happened after his teammate Mohammed Siraj took a catch of Harry Brook on the boundary but accidentally stepped on the rope, turning a wicket into a six.
Ashwin explained that this image perfectly encapsulated the razor-thin margin between victory and defeat that characterized the entire series. He added that both teams had found ways to put themselves in winning positions, only to lose them, and had also fought back from dire situations
“This series was defined by one photo. Prasidh Krishna’s celebration and frustration. That has been this series. The margin between victory and defeat has only been that much. Both teams have found ways to put themselves in winning situations, and they have lost it. Both teams have come back from really poor situations as well. It is a series to be defined forever,”
Ashwin’s comparison of ENG vs IND series with legendary 2005 Ashes
Ashwin also compared the series to the legendary 2005 Ashes, suggesting that this one was arguably better because of the ‘imperfections’ from both sides. Unlike the experienced and polished teams of 2005, this series saw youngsters making mistakes and then correcting them, which he believes made for a more compelling and memorable contest.
“Everyone is comparing it to the 2005 Ashes series. But I think this series was slightly better than the 2005 Ashes because there was so much more imperfection from both sides. That Australian side had Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, Michael Kasprowicz, and Shaun Tait. England had Simon Jones, Steve Harmison, and Ashley Giles. Both bowling attacks were experienced. Batting was also experienced. There was a lot of hard-fought cricket where you could not see a lot of mistakes. But in this series, there were a lot of mistakes, but the youngsters corrected those mistakes, and they have gotten better through the series,” Ashwin concluded.
