R Ashwin came into bat at No.10 for the first time in his illustrious career on day two of the third Test between India and New Zealand at Wankhede.
Of the positions Ashwin has batted in his career, No.8 has been his most preferred one. He has batted 83 times there, scoring 1977 runs an average of 26.01, including four centuries and seven fifties. His other two Test hundreds have come at No.6, where he has scored 531 runs at 35.40.
Before this innings, the lowest he batted was at No.9, having played 20 innings at seven-down. The only other time Ashwin has batted as low as No.10 in international cricket was in a T20I agianst England in 2011.
The all-rounder was dismissed for a 13-ball six after he edged Ajaz Patel to Daryl Mitchell at slip while trying to defend the ball.
Rejig in the batting order has been a constant for India
Earlier on day one, India sent Mohammed Siraj, with a batting average of 4.90, as nightwatchman, covering for Virat Kohli. The punt didn’t work as India slipped from 78-1 to 84-4, with Kohli dismissed off a run out towards the close of day’s play. The move drew severe criticism from all quarters.
India have constantly shuffled their batting order throughout the series. The decision to demote Sarfaraz Khan to No.8 in the ongoing Test also received a lot of flak, with Sanjay Manjrekar saying the move didn't make any sense. At Pune, they promoted Washington Sundar to No.6 ahead of Ravindra Jadeja. The move didn't pay off as Sundar fell for 21 off 47 before India succumbed to their first home-series defeat in 12 years.
Trapped in front, but Mohammed Siraj was ready to plead his case 🙆
— Wisden India (@WisdenIndia) November 1, 2024
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India eventually finished on 263 in reply to New Zealand's 235 in the first innings. Shubman Gill (90) and Rishabh Pant (60) were the top contributors.
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