"He’s worried so much about the LBW"- Ravichandran Ashwin on how he planned Ben Stokes' dismissal in India vs England 5th Test

Veteran Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin picked up his 36th five-wicket haul in his 100th Test for India against England in the final game of the five-match Test series in Dharamsala recently.

One of the wickets in his fifer was that of England skipper Ben Stokes (2 from 10 balls) just at the stroke of Lunch on Day 3. From around the wicket, Ashwin got the ball to go on with the arm and the ball crashed through the gap between the bat and pad of the left-hander.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Ravichandran Ashwin explained how Ben Stokes going into a shell helped him dismiss the latter. He said:

"I just felt like when Stokes gets into the very defensive shells, he allows you to come a littler fuller and wider on occasions because he's worried so much about the LBW. He gets into the zones of being literally extra tight and he could just lunge forward to every single ball on those occasions."

The 37-year-old added:

"The ball found enough bounce and deviation to just get between bat and pad of that top half. My intention was to get him out LBW, but the bounce enabled me to get through the transit."

Ashwin also revealed that Jasprit Bumrah decided to bring the off-spinner on for the final over before Lunch. Bumrah was the stand-in skipper for India on Day 3 as Rohit Sharma hadn't taken the field due to a stiff back.

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Ravichandran Ashwin on England's brand of cricket

England's 'Bazball' brand of cricket has received heavy scrutiny from fans as well as cricket pundits after their 4-1 series loss. However, Ravichandran Ashwin credited Ben Stokes and co. for putting India under pressure on several occasions.

Ashwin understands that setbacks are natural with a certain brand of cricket and feels England deserve plaudits. He stated, via the aforementioned source:

"What England did on this tour cannot be negated or cannot be spoken of on a lesser note. Whenever you do something new and when it's likely to be revolutionary or entertaining, you will find areas you can always find a balance to. I thought they played good cricket but we played some better cricket at the right moments."

Ashwin claimed that as a bowler, he didn't think too much about England's batter coming at him with an aggressive mindset. He just focused on his process and it worked out well for him, ending up being the highest wicket-taker in the series with 26 scalps.