"You don't see 3 or 4 wickets in your kitty every day" - Sanjay Bangar lauds Ravichandran Ashwin's spell in 4th IND vs AUS Test

Sanjay Bangar feels Ravichandran Ashwin's figures are not a true reflection of the way he bowled on the first day of the final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Ashwin registered figures of 1/57 in 25 overs on Thursday (March 9) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Australia ended the day at 255/4, with Usman Khawaja (104*) and Cameron Green (49*) unbeaten at the crease.

During a discussion on Star Sports, Bangar was asked about his thoughts on Ravichandran Ashwin's spell, to which he responded:

"He bowled extremely well. According to me, he used all the weapons in his arsenal but all days in Test cricket are not the same. You don't see three or four wickets in your kitty every day but he might get the rewards of the effort he put in today either tomorrow or in the second innings."

The former Indian batting coach pointed out that Ashwin was the best spinner on view on the day, elaborating:

"He looked the best if we compare the three spinners. We have seen quite a few times, that when there is no assistance from the pitch on the first or second day, he bowls long spells for the team's benefit. He bowled quite a lot around the wicket to Steve Smith with a strategy. He bowled good lines against Usman Khawaja."

Ashwin looked the most threatening among the three Indian spinners. While Ravindra Jadeja also picked up a wicket, Axar Patel went wicketless on the day.

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"He likes to play with the batter's mind" - Sanjay Bangar on Ravichandran Ashwin's dismissal of Travis Head

Travis Head was caught by Ravindra Jadeja off Ravichandran Ashwin's bowling.

Bangar was also asked about his thoughts on Ashwin's dismissal of Travis Head, to which he replied:

"It is Ravichandran Ashwin's huge strength that he keeps his eyes on the batter's feet until the last moment and adjusts his line accordingly. He likes to play with the batter's mind."

The cricketer-turned-commentator explained how the wily off-spinner meticulously planned the Australian opener's dismissal, saying:

"The one good change he made was that he started bowling with a short-leg fielder but once he understood that the straighter one was not that effective, he changed his line slightly, brought the short-leg fielder as an extra fielder on the off-side and because of that forced Travis Head to find a new area to score his runs at a fast pace."

Head was the first Australian wicket to fall for a 44-ball 32. He tried to hit Ashwin over the top for a boundary but only managed to find Jadeja at mid-on.