“I've got great hands” – Ravichandran Ashwin on stunning catch to dismiss Daryl Mitchell in 3rd IND vs NZ 2024 Test

Ace spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was delighted at his exceptional catch to dismiss Daryl Mitchell on Day 2 of the third and final Test against New Zealand at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Saturday, November 2. The 38-year-old said he only tried to get as close to the ball as possible and trusted his hands to do the rest.

Ashwin said at stumps on Day 2 (via Cricbuzz):

“I was just telling myself that it's going to anyway leave me, I wanted to get as close to the ball as possible and I've got great hands, so I trusted my hands to go through with it.”

Take a look at the catch here:

Ashwin further shared how the carrom ball helped him return to wickets in the second innings after going wicketless in the first essay. The off-spinner pointed out how the assistance from the pitch was the difference between the two ends, which made him use his variations. He said in the same interaction:

“The game itself is divided into two halves. The one from the pavilion end and the other side, the wicket is responding very differently. It's slightly flatter from the one where we are bowling from the dressing room side, the bounce is much lesser, so I thought I will try and use it the other way.

"The batters are also knowing that it's easier to take me on from this side. So, I wanted to give something different.”

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“It's not a typical Bombay pitch” – Ravichandran Ashwin on 29 wickets falling on first two days in 3rd Test

Ravichandran Ashwin also spoke about the strange nature of the pitch as 29 wickets fell on the first two days at Wankhede. The senior all-rounder added that it would be an uphill task for the Men in Blue to chase the target. On this, he added:

“(Target) Hopefully not many, we should wrap it up with one or two runs here and there. Any runs saved in this innings is going to be much more critical for us when we chase it down. It's not going to be easy, we'll have to bat really well.”

“I expected a lot more bounce and speed from this Mumbai pitch, it has been quite slow which is a surprise for me. It's not a typical Bombay pitch, but much slower than usual,” he added.

At stumps on Day 2, New Zealand were 171/9 in the second innings. They are leading by 143 runs.

Highest run chases at Wankhede Stadium

• South Africa 164/6 vs India (2000)
• England 98/0 vs India (1980)
• England 58/0 vs India (2012)
• India 51/2 vs England (1984)
• Australia 47/0 vs India (2001)

Follow the IND vs NZ 3rd Test live score and updates here.