Forgettable outing for both Pujara and Ashwin in the County Championship

Cheteshwar Pujara and Ravichandran Ashwin haven’t had a lot to do in the County Championship game between Nottinghamshire and Worcestershire at the Trent Bridge. Pujara represented the home side in this game aggregating only 32 runs while Worcestershire’s Ashwin didn’t get a chance to bowl and scored only 19 runs in the first innings.

The No.3 batter walked out in the 2nd innings in the 3rd over like in the 1st innings. The Indian batsman scored 28 runs in the first outing but was trapped in front in this innings by Joseph Leach for just four runs. Nottinghamshire, who conceded a 50-run first innings lead, ended the 2nd day at 139 for the loss of five wickets.

Edward Barnard, the visiting side’s star with the ball, scored a fifty to help Worcestershire post 243 in their first innings. Ashwin, who walked out to bat when they lost four wickets for 56 runs, opened his account with a six and struck two more fours. But he edged to slips on a delivery from Jake Ball after a 25-ball 19.

Earlier in the Nottinghamshire’s first innings, Ashwin wasn’t required to bowl a single over as Worcester pacers took 49.2 overs to bowl out the home team. However, it wasn’t the first time he didn’t get a chance to bowl in an innings in his professional career so far, in fact, the 9th occasion. Five of those instances are in first-class cricket including once in a Test match but only two times in a completed team innings.

Ashwin didn’t get a chance to bowl for his Tamil Nadu team in the 2009 Ranji Trophy game as the pacers shared all the ten wickets among themselves to bowl out Baroda in the 2nd innings inside 25 overs. The off-spinner didn’t get a chance to bowl in his Indian Premier League (IPL) debut for Chennai Super Kings in 2009 against Mumbai Indians. He didn’t bowl in an IPL game in 2015 after he sustained an injury while fielding.

Instances when Ravichandran Ashwin has not bowled in an innings: