Watch: Wankhede chants ‘Ashwin, Ashwin’ after Indian spinner takes stunning catch

The crowd at Wankhede erupted into chants of “Ashwin, Ashwin” as Ravichandran Ashwin pulled off a stunning move to dismiss Daryl Mitchell. Fielding in midfield, Ashwin had to run back to reach the high shot that Mitchell took off Ravindra Jadeja’s bowling. Mitchell, trying to get down the ground, misjudged his pitch and the ball caught on the underside of his bat and flew high into the sky. Ashwin watched him closely, turning his body to the side and moving closer, skillfully avoiding the over-the-shoulder shot.

Timing his jump perfectly, he extended his arms to complete the catch in the air, tumbling but maintaining control as the ball nearly slipped away. The crowd at Wankhede cheered loudly, praising the athleticism and agility displayed by Ashwin. This moment gave India a breakthrough, breaking a key partnership and changing the dynamics. Ashwin’s precise technique and composure under pressure highlighted his batting prowess despite being 38 years old and demonstrated why he is such a valuable player for India.

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Key holder is broken

The 50-run stand from 83 balls between Daryl Mitchell and Will Young was broken as the former looked stunned after being dismissed. All Mitchell’s hard work went down the drain as he departed for 21 runs off 44 balls. Ashwin tried in every possible way to promote the interests of the team. After going wicketless in New Zealand’s first innings, Ashwin struck with the wicket of Rachin Ravindra. The crucial wicket came on the last ball of the 14th over of New Zealand’s 2nd innings when Rachin tried to hit a big shot but missed and was eventually stumped by Rishabh Pant behind the wickets.

Jadeja, who had taken five wickets in the first innings, struck again by dismissing Tom Blundell and India instantly got two quick wickets. By then New Zealand had a lead of over 70 runs.