"He showed a lot of grit, composure, his defence was good": Ashwin hails Kuldeep's batting

Ranchi (Jharkhand) [India], February 25 : Following the end of the third day's play between India and England during the fourth Test, veteran Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin lauded spinner Kuldeep Yadav and young wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel for their match-saving partnership, praising them for their defence and composure.
A five-wicket haul by spinner Ravichandran Ashwin helped India bundle out England for just 145 runs in their second innings and get a target of 192 runs to seal the series on day three of the fourth Test at Ranchi on Sunday. Jurel and Kuldeep had earlier stitched a useful 76-run partnership for the eighth wicket after India was reduced to 219/7, reducing England's lead to just 46 runs after India was bundled out for 307 runs.
Speaking after the match, Ashwin said that though it was hard on Kuldeep to send him out to bat, he displayed a lot of "grit" and good defence, which kept the dressing room calm. He also lauded Jurel, only playing his second Test for trusting his gameplan.
"It was hard on him (Kuldeep) yesterday, we sent him to bat a bit too early than what he would have desired. I felt his defence was good, he showed a lot of grit and composure, kept the dressing room calm and it was even better from Jurel I thought, for someone who was playing just his second Test match, he showed great composure, trusted his defence, had a great gameplan, did not go bonkers, picked the right bowlers to hit and yeah, it gave us a great boost. We batted almost until Lunch, if we had given up even 70-80 runs, the thought when we went back to the hotel last night, we would have taken it with both hands," said Ashwin.
Ashwin said that the entire bowling unit as well showed some great character to reduce England's lead to a chasable target. He praised Kuldeep for working on his run-up and his skill. Ashwin also revealed that he has been facing some knee issues.
"For some strange reason my knee has been acting up. It just takes me 10-12 balls to warm up. I had a warmup before getting in as well. So once I got my length right that is when I wanted to try it (carrom ball) because I did not want to give away extra runs because we were chasing last, so every single run to chase is a big bonus. Phenomenal character (by the entire bowling unit)," said Ashwin.
"I thought Kuldeep bowled brilliantly. What I loved about Kuldeep today was the way he worked on his run-up, momentum and all that sort of stuff, We all know how much revs he can put on the ball, and what skill he has. The change of pace that changes the trajectory, which he is willing to do now. Happy for him. I just stole the fifer away from him. That is how the game goes (smiles)," he added.
Ashwin said that he would like to win the series with India tomorrow and said that he has enjoyed every moment in the Indian jersey.
"You can take all the wickets you want, you can perform every time, but the best thing to happen is when the team wins. That feeling is surreal when you win a Test match after four tough days. I would like to have that feeling tomorrow. Rohit and Jaiswal have started really well, hopefully, they will carry on tomorrow. I am definitely past all these things now (500th wicket milestone), I have enjoyed every single moment of being with this team and the longer it lasts, I will be very happy," he added.
Coming to the match, India ended their day at 40/0, with skipper Rohit Sharma (24*) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (16*) unbeaten with 152 runs more to win the five-match series.
In their second innings, England was bundled out for just 145 runs, with Zak Crawley (60 in 91 balls, with seven fours) and Jonny Bairstow (30 in 42 balls, with three fours) offering some fight. Spinners took all the 10 wickets for India, with Ravichandran Ashwin (5/51) and Kuldeep Yadav (4/22) leading the bowlers. England led by 191 runs and set India a target of 192 runs to take the series win by 3-1.
Earlier, India was bundled out for 307 in their first innings in reply to England's first innings total of 353. Despite Yashasvi Jaiswal (73 in 117 balls, with eight fours and a six) firing once again, India was left struggling at 219/7. It was wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel (90 in 149 balls, with six fours and four sixes) who joined forces with Kuldeep (28 in 131 balls) to stitch a 76-run stand for the eighth wicket and India managed to score above 300 runs. Spinner Shoaib Bashir troubled Indian batters and took a five-wicket haul (5/119). Tom Hartley (3/68) and James Anderson (2/48) were also great with the ball.
England chose to bat first and put up 353 runs in their first innings, driven by a comeback century by their premier batter Joe Root (122* in 274 balls, 10 fours), a half-century from Ollie Robinson (58 in 96 balls, with nine fours and a six) and Ben Foakes (47 in 126 balls, with four boundaries and a six). Ravindra Jadeja (4/67) and Akash Deep (3/83) were the top bowlers for India.