‘Pakistan surprised me’: Ashwin reacts to home side’s batting in PAK v BAN Test

Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has shared his views on Pakistan’s batting collapse in the first Test against Bangladesh in Rawalpindi.

The game saw Pakistan declaring their first inning at 448/6, however, the home side’s batting lineup collapsed after Bangladesh piled up a mammoth 565 all-out in the first innings.

The Day 5 of the first PAK v BAN Test saw the visitors bowling Pakistan out for 148 runs in their second innings, setting a paltry 30-run target for Bangladesh.

Bangladesh spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz returned with the figures of 4-21, Shakib Al Hasan picked three wickets, while Shoriful Islam, Nahid Rana and Hasan Mahmud bagged one each.

The visitors clinched their maiden Test victory against Pakistan after easily chasing down the target as Zakir Hasan (15) and Shadman Islam (9) guided the visitors to a historic victory in just 6.3 overs.

Reacting to the shocking collapse of Pakistan’s batting lineup, Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin said that he was surprised with Pakistan’s performance on Day 5 of the opening PAK v BAN Test

“The match was in sleep mode for the first three days. Suddenly, Pakistan surprised me with a surprise when I was about to catch a flight. When I saw the highlights of the match, I understood one thing. The proper, tiring collapse on a final day. I haven’t seen that for a long time,” he said on his YouTube channel.

According to the Indian spinner, teams do not surrender on a pitch like Rawalpindi which is batting-friendly.

“Teams don’t surrender in a pitch like this. In first-class cricket, strong teams will bat first and hit big. The wicket will be a batting wicket. In those two days, they will pull off an all-out in a tired state. When the wicket crumbles, they will get all out again. I got that depiction. There is nothing in the pitch. It’s an absolute road,” he said.

Ravichandran Ashwin heaped praise on wicketkeeping batter Mohammad Rizwan for his valiant 51-run knock in the second inning when no other batter could stay on the crease for a longer period.

“In fact, in the end, Rizwan was staging a fight. I didn’t understand a thing. Naseem Shah played a shot and left cheaply. I didn’t understand what just happened. I didn’t understand a thing,” the star Indian cricketer concluded.

Meanwhile, Pakistan have recalled spinner Abrar Ahmed and middle-order batter Kamran Ghulam ahead of the second PAK v BAN Test from August 30 to September 3 at the same venue.