Last Updated:
R Ashwin could not help but praise Adil Rashid’s brilliant display against the Men in Blue at Rajkot.
Adil Rashid the wicket of Tilak Varma during the 3rd T20I at the Niranjan Shah Stadium, Rajkot. (Image: Sportzpics)Adil Rashid the wicket of Tilak Varma during the 3rd T20I at the Niranjan Shah Stadium, Rajkot. (Image: Sportzpics)
Retired India legend Ravichandran Ashwin was in awe of England spinner Adil Rashid’s breathtaking delivery in Rajkot. The 37-year-old leg spinner played a pivotal role in England’s 26-run win over India at the Niranjan Shah Stadium on January 28. He dismissed Tilak Varma in the eighth over of India’s chase with a peach of a delivery to find the stumps. The marvellous wrist spin showcase caught Ashwin’s attention. The retired spinner couldn’t keep calm as he reacted to the delivery on X (formerly Twitter). “Absolute seed. Scrambled seam and serious side spin. Top bowling Adil Rashid,” Ashwin wrote.
Adil Rashid got the big wicket in the final ball of the eighth over. He outfoxed Tilak Varma by making the ball sharply turn back into the batter. Varma waited on the backfoot to play the delivery. The southpaw, however, failed to read the ball and lost his stumps. The wicket paved the way for Adil’s remarkable comeback in the series after he was hammered for 27 runs in Kolkata. While he failed to stop India in Chennai, the veteran spinner was instrumental in England’s defence to keep the five-match series alive.
Ravichandran Ashwin wasn’t the only one impressed with the ripper of a ball. India skipper Suryakumar Yadav also hailed Adil Rashid’s wizardry in the post-match presentation. He claimed India had the game in their palms with Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel on the crease. “I felt there would be little dew later in the day. I feel we had the game in our hands when Hardik and Axar were batting,” he said, as per multiple outlets. According to Suryakumar, Adil’s spell played an important role in turning the game in England’s favour. “Credit goes to Adil Rashid, he bowled well. That’s why he is a world-class bowler. He didn’t allow us to rotate the strike,” the Indian skipper concluded.
The third T20I between India and England saw the visitors bat first at the Niranjan Shah Stadium and set a total of 172. India’s chase didn’t have the best start as both openers Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma were dismissed inside the powerplay. Following Suryakumar Yadav’s wicket, the host side’s innings just went downhill with Adil Rashid making the batters fight hard for the runs. In his four-over spell, the Englishman gave away just 15 runs to seal a much-needed victory for the Jos Buttler-led side.