"And Rohit Sharma dropped him for the WTC final"- Fans react after Ravichandran Ashwin's 5-wicket haul in 1st WI vs IND Test

Veteran Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin spun a web around the West Indies batters and picked up his 33rd five-wicket haul in Tests on day 1 of the first Test in Dominica.

It is a comeback of sorts for the Chennai spinner after being left out of India's playing XI for the WTC final against Australia last month in London. Ashwin proved himself in this match with a vintage bowling performance.

After electing to bat first, West Indies managed to make a steady start as openers Kraigg Brathwaite (20) and Tagenarine Chanderpaul (12) put on a 31-run opening stand by negating the new-ball threat.

It was Ashwin who broke the partnership in the 13th over to open the floodgates. The off-spinner scalped Chanderpaul's wicket off the penultimate ball of the 13th over by cleaning him up.

Brathwaite also followed his opening partner to the pavilion after playing an ugly hoick against the same bowler. Debutant Alick Athanaze (47) anchored the innings by getting set at one end, while the batters at the other end kept playing rash shots to reach the pavilion.

The youngster also ran out of patience in the 55th over and departed following a miscued slog, giving Ashwin his fourth wicket. Rakheem Cornwall (19*) then helped West Indies reach 150 before Ravichandran Ashwin wrapped up the innings by dismissing Jomel Warrican in the 65th over.

Ravindra Jadeja ended up with three wickets, while Shardul Thakur and Mohammed Siraj scalped one wicket apiece.

Fans heaped praise on Ashwin after witnessing yet another wonderful bowling performance from him and expressed their reactions on the matter via Twitter.

Ravichandran Ashwin became the third Indian to pick up 700 wickets in international cricket

The World's number one Test bowler has breached a special milestone during day 1 of the first Test against West Indies in Dominica. After dismissing Alzarri Joseph (his third wicket), Ravichandran Ashwin became the third Indian bowler to pick up 700 international wickets.

Harbhajan Singh (707 wickets) and Anil Kumble (953 wickets) are ahead of Ravichandran Ashwin (702 wickets).

About the author

Balakrishna has been a cricket writer at Sportskeeda for almost seven years. A sport that he has been following and playing since he was eight, Balakrishna enjoys the intensity of the sport, skills and strategies applied to get a result out of nowhere, and the thrill that it gives. He also played as a medium pace bowling all-rounder in four inter-college tournaments, winning twice.

Balakrishna’s all-time favorite cricketers are Sachin Tendulkar and Rohit Sharma. He admires Sachin’s stellar performances against legendary bowlers, along with his discipline and humility. Meanwhile, he is a big fan of how Rohit turned around his initial struggles to build a successful career.

He avidly supports Team India and 2016 IPL winners SunRisers Hyderabad. The first World Cup that Balakrishna ever saw was the 2003 World Cup, when Australia comprehensively triumphed over India in the final.

While working, he ensures he only uses reliable sources and provides relevant, ethical, and accurate information. When not working, Balakrishna enjoys playing table tennis and reading non-fiction books.

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