“Free ride” – Ravichandran Ashwin reacts to Jonny Bairstow carrying pitch invader outside boundary in 2nd Ashes Test

Ravichandran Ashwin couldn’t stop himself from commenting on Jonny Bairstow’s hilarious reaction after a protestor invaded the pitch on Day 1 of the second Ashes Test at Lord’s on Wednesday, June 28.

The ace spinner shared a funny video clip on social media, where the England wicketkeeper-batter can be seen carrying the pitch invader outside the boundary ropes.

Ashwin, who will next be seen in action during a two-Test series in West Indies in July, captioned his Instagram story:

“Free ride for the pitch invader.”

Ravichandran Ashwin shared a clip of Jonny Bairstow lifting the protestor in the second Ashes Test.

The 36-year-old also shared the video on Twitter, writing:

“Good start to the 2nd Test. Bairstow has done some heavy lifting already.”

For the uninitiated, an oil protester invaded the pitch after James Anderson completed the first over of the second Ashes Test.

Bairstow lifted the bloke to prevent him from putting colors on the ground and threw him outside the boundary ropes. The 33-year-old rushed to the dressing room to change his gear while the ground staff cleaned the mess on the ground. The play resumed after a slight delay.

Watch the full video below:

England opt to bowl against Australia in second Ashes Test

Earlier, England captain Ben Stokes won the toss and opted to bowl against Australia in the second Ashes Test on Wednesday. The hosts have picked Josh Tongue in place of all-rounder Moeen Ali.

Speaking at the toss, Ben Stokes said:

"We are gonna have a bowl. Overhead conditions played a massive part and the surface looks good to have a bowl as well. Disappointed not having Woody, but Tongue is a like-for-like replacement. Joe is really enjoying the challenge (with the ball) and is turning into a genuine all-rounder.”

Pat Cummins and Co., on the other hand, replaced Mitchell Starc with Scott Boland as their only change. Meanwhile, Nathan Lyon is representing Australia in the 100th consecutive Test, becoming the first-ever bowler to achieve the landmark.

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ENG vs AUS playing XI

England: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jonny Bairstow (w), Stuart Broad, Ollie Robinson, Josh Tongue, James Anderson.

Australia: David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (w), Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins (c), Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood.

Click here to follow the second Ashes Test live scores.