Amid the wreckage of England’s third day in Ranchi, there remains a little-known story among the tourists: Shoaib Bashir, at just 20, became their second-youngest bowler to take a Test five-wicket , needless to say, he was delighted about it.
The moment came on a frustrating morning for his colleagues, with Bashir pinning Akash Deep lbw behind his four wickets on day two. He celebrated with a prayer in the outfield, the last Islamic expression of gratitude by an England player when Rehan Ahmed (18) won five wickets against Pakistan last winter.
“This is a very special moment in my journey,” Bashir said. After a dramatic comeback, India entered the fourth innings with a target of 192 for 40 runs. “Two years ago, I would never have imagined that something like this would happen.
“It’s quite emotional actually. I lost two grandads about a year and a half ago and they used to sit around and watch Test cricket. Their wish was to see me on TV and I know they were up there supporting me. .”
Despite England’s poor defensive performance at the start of the fourth night, inconsistency at the Ranchi Stadium – Ravichandran Ashwin took his 25th five-wicket haul in Tests – meant However, they cannot be completely underestimated.
Bashir, of course, is not ready to throw in the towel just yet and insists he and Tom Hartley, two young spinners, can still do it with encouragement from captain Ben Stokes Bring about a twist.
Bashir said: “Stokesi and the boys are incredible. They give you confidence in everything you do. If I go out and bowl or bat, they are fantastic. I know I have it tomorrow. There is work to be done and Tommy and I are very excited about the challenge.
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“We saw how [Ravichandran] Ashwin [Ravindra] Jadeja bowled on that wicket and we were confident about it. I used to watch these guys when I was younger and they were world-class spinners.We knew our two boys were facing world class [team] But we have a chance to be heroes. “
