Ace spinner R Ashwin has been having one of his best tours of Australia and on Monday, in Sydney put on a very gritty performance to blunt the hosts’ bowling attack.
Ashwin along with Hanuma Vihari batted for 256 deliveries and put on 62 runs to save the Sydney Test and keep the series locked at 1-1.
While Ashwin was battling it out in the middle and even copped a few nasty blows to the body, his wife took to Twitter to tell a story about the eve of Day 5.
Prithi wrote that on the eve of the final day of the game, the spinner was suffering from terrible back pain.
“The man went to bed last night with a terrible back tweak and in unbelievable pain. He could not stand up straight when he woke up this morning. Could not bend down to tie his shoe laces. I am amazed at what @ashwinravi99 pulled off today,” she tweeted.
Ashwin faced 128 deliveries for his 39, while Vihari played 161 for his 23.
India batted on till 131 overs, with the last pair coming together in the 89th to grind out the draw. India, who were chasing 407 to win, finished with the score at 334/5 when stumps were finally drawn.
Talking to the broadcasters after the match, the off-spinner said it was difficult to bat, especially against right-arm pacer Pat Cummins.
"...Cummins was bowling in a different league altogether. There was a bit of double bounce, so it was difficult against Cummins," said the off-spinning all-rounder.
The 34-year-old also posted a couple of pictures on Instagram after the conclusion of the match with a caption: "The picture says it all. A feeling that I cannot express in words. Thanks to all my teammates and well wishers."
Ashwin has scalped 12 wickets and scored 78 runs in the three matches that have been played so far in the series.
With the series tied at 1-1, Australia and India will now face each other in the final Test beginning Friday at The Gabba in Brisbane.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)