NEW DELHI: The invaluable bond of players' camaraderie lifts team's morale on the field and the same was witnessed during the first day of the fifth and final Test against England in Dharamsala on Thursday.
Kuldeep Yadav
won the hearts by paying ultimate tribute to
Ravichandran Ashwin
, expressing his desire for the seasoned spinner to possess the match ball, even after achieving a five-wicket haul on the opening day.
Kuldeep's gesture unfolded in celebration of Ashwin's milestone of playing his
100th Test
as he wished for the veteran to lead India off the field following the dismissal of England for 218 runs in the first innings.
However, Ashwin played a perfect role of being a senior player and urged Kuldeep to lead India off the field as he deserved more than him to do the honours.
Kuldeep (5/72) and Ashwin (4/51) ran through the England batting line-up as the visitors lost eight wickets for 118 runs across post-lunch and post-tea sessions.
Kuldeep stood out with his left-arm wrist spin as he went past 50 Test wickets.
Opener
Zak Crawley
(79, 108 balls) offered lone resistance for England. He survived a few reprieves before being bowled by Kuldeep off a delivery that turned in sharply to hit the stumps.
English (US) ·