Nasser Hussain hails great cricketer R Ashwin: "Could see fire in his eyes when Rohit Sharma gave him new ball"

Former England captain Nasser Hussain lauded the efforts of Ravichandran Ashwin in the fourth Test match to help India outclass the tourists on Day 3 and 4 in Ranchi. In the first three Tests, Ashwin failed to make the desired impact with the ball but the veteran spinner displayed his class in the second innings of Ranchi Test by claiming a fifer. Ashwin was under the scanners before the start of fourth Test for his below-par performances but Rohit Sharma continued to display faith in his ace spinner.

The Indian skipper gave the new ball to Ashwin in the second innings at Ranchi and the 35-year-old spun his web to dismantle the English batting line-up. He returned with the figures of 5/51 as he claimed the crucial wickets of Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Ollie Pope and Ben Foakes.

Hussain gave examples of Joe Root and R Ashwin while stating 'you don't keep a great cricketer down'.

"People have been saying Ashwin has had a quiet series, but this game has been a reminder that you don’t keep a great cricketer down. Root proved as much in England’s first innings, and Ashwin underlined the point in their second," Hussain wrote in his column for Daily Mail.

Talking about Ashwin's five-star performance on Day 3 and 4 in Ranchi, Hussain asserted that the ace spinner's eyes were fired up after getting the new ball.

"You could see the fire in his eyes when Rohit gave him the new ball: he was determined to stamp his class on the series. He even treated us to a carrom ball to get rid of Foakes," he added.

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Ashwin, who completed 500 Test wickets during the third Test, has picked 17 wickets in four Tests this series thus far.

The Tamil Nadu star claimed one wicket in the first innings and looked off colours but he displayed his class when it mattered in the second innings with a fifer.

The former English skipper further hailed skipper Rohit's move to give Ashwin the new ball as he delivered by picking up the crucial wicket of Ben Duckett early in the game.

"Rohit Sharma got it spot on when he opened the bowling with Ravichandran Ashwin, after delaying his entry for too long in the first innings at Rajkot. That allowed Duckett, who has struggled against Ashwin, to get off to a flyer, and Rohit wasn’t going to make that mistake again," wrote Hussain.