Ace Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin got a much-needed bowling practice ahead of the five-match Test series against England and tormented the Somerset batting line-up during a county championship game while plying his trade for Surrey. Ashwin returned with figures of 6/27 in the second innings to bowl out Somerset for a paltry score of just 69 runs.
On the back of his stupendous spell of spin bowling, Surrey managed to bounce back strongly in the county championship encounter after conceding a massive lead of 189 runs. It was spin bowling of the highest order from Ashwin as he ran past the Somerset batting line-up with his guile and variations.
Ashwin bagged the wicket of Steven Davis up front to open the floodgates for a dramatic collapse. He floated the ball around the off stump area and Davis went fishing for it. The ball turned enough to take the outside edge and the keeper held onto a good catch. Soon after he bagged the wicket of Tom Lammonby as the left-handed batsman went for a reverse sweep and gloved the flighted delivery straight to the slip fielder.
James Hildreth was his third scalp and a faster off-break breached his defence and struck him plumb in front. Ashwin used his variations brilliantly and none of the batsmen had any answer to his mastery. George Bartlett was his next scalp as he turned one into the right-hander and breached his defence as the batsman was in two minds whether to leave or play.
A faster carrom ball brought about the downfall of Roelof van der Merwe as he was struck right adjacent to the stumps. Bem Green was Ashwin’s final scalp as the tweaker bowled a brilliant off break which turned sharply and went through the gap between the bat and the pad and disturbed the timbers.
Courtesy his superb spell, Somerset stands a realistic chance of chasing the target of 259 runs. When the piece was written, Somerset needed 230 more runs to win with 8 wickets in hand.