For those who missed the thrilling end to the Mumbai Test, here's how the final over unfolded, as seen by our ball-by-ball commentator, Priyank Shah.
This is Fidel Edwards bowling to Varun Aaron and Ravichandran Ashwin. One over left. Three runs to win for India. Two wickets to win for the West Indies.
63.1 - Edwards to Aaron - 0 runs - Back of a length delivery, quick outside off, the ball zips through before even Aaron can swing his bat. Dot ball.
63.2 - Edwards to Aaron - 0 runs - Aaron gets forward and punches it nicely through the covers but finds the fielder. 3 runs needed off 4 balls.
Edwards pulls out midway through his run up in his attempt to run Ashwin out but he doesn't.
63.3 - Edwards to Aaron - 0 runs - Edwards angles that one in, length on the middle, Aaron swings and misses. That was very close to the leg stump. No bye taken too. 3 needed off 3.
63.4 - Edwards to Aaron - 1 run - West Indies miss a run out chance! Aaron plays it uppishly towards mid off and Samuels gets it on the bounce. He fumbles and the batsmen decide to change ends. Samuels also takes ages to get rid of the ball and concedes a single. India need 2 off 2 now.
63.5 - Edwards to Ashwin - 0 runs - Full and straight on the middle, Ashwin gets an inside edge on the pads. He negates the chance of India losing. India still need 2 runs off 1 ball.
63.6 - Edwards to Ashwin - 1 run - OUT! Match drawn! West Indies manage to take it to a draw with scores levelled. Ashwin is run out. He gets a fullish delivery, hammers it straight back and takes one. He then turns and Aaron calls him for the second. By the time Ashwin could realize, smart thinking by the fielder in the deep to throw the ball at the striker's end and Ashwin is well short of his crease. India miss the series whitewash and West Indies have something to be proud of.
Our take: Ashwin blocking the fifth ball was possibly great presence of mind. Had he got out on that ball, India could have lost by losing another wicket off the final ball. But the block removed the possibility of a West Indies win and a tie.
But it's hard to say what Ashwin was thinking on the final ball when he made no attempt to go for the second. Aaron was running to the danger end. Ashwin completed the first run and stayed rooted even as Aaron came charging down for the second. Ashwin turned slowly. The long-on fielder saw what was happening and wisely threw the ball to the batting end to run Ashwin out.
This was a chance missed for both sides, but results such as these would keep interest in Test cricket alive. And that's far more important.
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