‘We watched him bat up the order and…’: Rohit credits Ashwin’s century to TNPL

India defeated Bangladesh by 280 runs in their first Test match, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, on Sunday. Chasing a target of 515 runs, Bangladesh were bowled out for 234, courtesy of a six-wicket haul from Ravichandran Ashwin.
Ashwin was also pivotal to India’s batting unit, smacking a ton in the first innings. In the first innings, Ashwin slammed 113 runs off 133 balls, packed with 11 fours and two sixes.
After winning the match on Day 4, India captain Rohit Sharma hailed Ashwin for his impact. “He’s next in line to talk to you, he’s the right man to answer what he does. Every time we look up to him, he’s always there for us whether with the bat or ball. I don’t know if I speak here, it’ll be enough of what he does for this team. Every time we see him come out and do the job, it’s always so brilliant. He’s never out of the game,” he said.
Commenting on Ashwin’s batting, Rohit added, “The last competitive cricket he played was IPL and then he had some fun playing TNPL. We watched him bat up the order and that’s what helped him as well to bat the way he did.”
During the first innings, India were in danger at 144/6, but then Ashwin’s rescue act turned the tide. He batted with intent, and bagged his sixth Test century, alongwith a key 199-run stand with Ravindra Jadeja, taking the hosts to 376. After that Bangladesh were wrapped up for 149 in 1.5 sessions. India didn’t enforce a follow-on, and then tons from Rishabh Pant, Shubman Gill saw India set a massive 500-plus target. Bangladesh started strong in the run chase, but lost four-wickets in the final session on Day 3, which saw them lose the match with ease on Day 4.