Ashwin achieved the feat when he struck a brilliant fourth career century – 118 off 297 balls -helping India recover from 87/4 to post 353 all out in the first innings on Day 2 of the third Test against West Indies in Gros Islet.
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West Indies seized on to the opportunity and within a span of eight more overs, they had bowled India out.
Ravichandran Ashwin notched up his second century of the series, in addition to two five-wicket hauls.
Records continued to tumble at Darren Sammy National Stadium as Saha reached his maiden Test century, making it the first time, batsmen at number six and seven have scored hundreds for India in the same innings.
It is unclear what Ashwin ate at lunch – his wife, watching the game on television back home in India even rhetorically asked the question on Twitter – but it did the trick.
West Indies won the toss and sent the Indians in, on a track with pace and bounce. They have to be very watchful and play the ball under their eye. It was also Saha’s first test century. Advancing down the pitch to Roston Chase, taking on the ball that was given just that bit of extra air, Ashwin launched it into the stands over mid-on, his timing immaculate and the connection clean enough to take the ball the distance. Saha was painstakingly slow again, at one time needing 22 deliveries to get his first runs through a boundary.
Resuming after lunch on 5-316, the tourists soon lost Saha, caught behind off the bowling of teenage debutant Alzarri Joseph, and the dismissal triggered a lower-order collapse as India lost five wickets for just 14 runs to slump from 6-339 to 353 all out.
India looked down and out at 126 for the loss of five wickets at tea on the opening day, when Saha walked with.
India had nearly battled through an afternoon session in which it scored just 43 runs when Ajinkya Rahane’s patient innings of 35 runs from 133 balls came to an end moments before tea.
The Indian bowlers, who were getting some movement from the new ball, could not pick up a wicket. Leon Johnson and Kraigg Brathwaite presented the full face of the bat, punching neatly and defending with goal. It was a truly special knock, helping India overcome a dire situation, and a moment the 31-year-old is likely to have imprinted in his mind forever. Johnson had tapped the ball a little wide of Rahul at mid-wicket and set of for the run, but Rahul was quick to react and threw down the stumps at the non-striker’s end with an accurate throw.
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Earlier, India’s star batsmen namely opener Shikhar Dhawan (one), skipper Virat Kohli (three) and Rohit Sharma (nine) all fell short of runs in the ongoing crucial match. To add to their worries, Shami induced an edge of Kraigg Brathwaite that dropped short before Lokesh Rahul failed to hold on to a chance at slip.
