Aoba Tanaka 
In a masterful display of spin bowling, R Ashwin wreaked havoc on England’s batting order during the morning session of day three in the fifth Test against India in Dharamsala. The off-spinner, opening the bowling with Jasprit Bumrah, showcased his brilliance, exploiting moments of indecision among the England batsmen.
Ashwin, with figures of 4-55, showcased his strategic prowess, outsmarting England’s batters. Jonny Bairstow provided a momentary respite with an entertaining cameo, smashing three sixes off Ashwin. However, Kuldeep Yadav’s introduction proved decisive, as the wrist spinner dismissed Bairstow in his first over with a vicious leg break.
As lunch approached, Ashwin, brought back into the attack, added to England’s misery by dismissing the experienced Ben Stokes. The morning session witnessed a shaky start for England, with Ben Duckett’s aggressive attempt against Ashwin leading to his dismissal, and Zak Crawley’s struggle resulting in a 16-ball duck.
Ollie Pope’s ill-fated attempt at a sweep only added to England’s troubles, with Yashasvi Jaiswal taking a sharp catch. Despite the turmoil, Joe Root exhibited his usual solidity, employing nimble footwork against the spinners. The only glimmer of success for England came when James Anderson reached the historic milestone of 700 Test wickets by dismissing Kuldeep.
As India tightened their grip on the match, Ashwin’s brilliance stood out, leaving England in dire straits and setting the stage for a challenging recovery in the subsequent sessions.
