When R Ashwin Bamboozled Hashim Amla With The 'T20 Ball Of The Century'

Jatin

R Ashwin bowled a sensational ball to Hashim Amla [Source: @on_drive2306,@Shebas_10dulkar/x.com]R Ashwin bowled a sensational ball to Hashim Amla [Source: @on_drive2306,@Shebas_10dulkar/x.com]

The wizard from Chennai, Ravichandran Ashwin, turns 39 today. Time really flies; one moment, he is the lanky off-spinner making his debut for India in 2010 and the next, he is walking into the sunset after hanging up his boots and leaving behind a legacy that would make any spinner swell with pride.

Remembering Ashwin’s Magical Ball To Dismiss Hashim Amla

Ravichandran Ashwin has always been more than just a bowler; he has been a thinker, a tactician, a cricketing scientist who loved breaking batters down bit by bit. And on his birthday, it’s impossible not to rewind to that one ball that made the world sit up and go “Whoa!”

It was the 2014 ICC T20 World Cup semi-final at Dhaka. South Africa had opted to bat and after losing Quinton de Kock early to Bhuvneshwar Kumar, they were clawing back through Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis. MS Dhoni needed a breakthrough. In walked Ashwin for the final over of the powerplay, eyes gleaming, fingers itching, brain ticking.

The Carrom Ball That Spun Dreams

Ashwin came around the wicket, a move that looked quirky at first but was part of his grand plan. The ball drifted in, pitched way outside leg and Amla shaped up to tuck it off his back foot towards square leg.

What he didn’t know was that this carrom ball had plans of its own. It ripped past his bat and clipped the top of off stump. Timber! Clean as a whistle.

The South African opener stood frozen. The crowd went bananas. The Indian camp erupted. And somewhere, a million jaws dropped in unison. That moment had “Ball of the Century” written all over it and it was Adam Gilchrist who actually gave it that crown on social media.

Ashwin didn’t stop there. He came back later to remove both Faf du Plessis and AB de Villiers, the heart of the Proteas batting. What could have been a mountain of runs was trimmed to a chaseable 173.

And chase it India did, thanks to Virat Kohli playing a masterclass in calm, unbeaten on 72 off 44 balls. India marched into the final, even though they would later stumble at the last hurdle against Sri Lanka.

A Legacy Wrapped In Wizardry

Ashwin might have called time on his cricketing journey now but his legacy will always shine bright. From being Chennai Super Kings’ mystery spinner to becoming India’s spin spearhead, he has left behind a treasure chest of memories.

That ball to Amla, though, will forever sit on the top shelf. It was art. It was mischief. It was Ashwin at his finest.

Happy 39th, Ash. Cricket misses that brain of yours, but boy, thanks for the magic!