With the rise of several young players like Washington Sundar, Mohammed Siraj and the maverick Rishabh Pant, India have been on a roll both at home and abroad
Pant's innings is the best counter attacking innings, I have seen in India by an Indian, especially at number six when the ball was turning," Shastri said after India's emphatic win in the fourth Test
Pant struck 101 off 118 balls for his third Test hundred, helping India take a sizeable first innings lead after the hosts looked in trouble at 146 for six in response to England's 205
England dominated the first two sessions and India looked in all sorts of trouble before Pant (101 off 118 balls) suddenly decided to catch the opposition by the scruff of their necks
Ashwin has already taken 17 wickets in the series against England so far and is expected to add some more to his kitty in the third Test beginning here on Wednesday
"His glove work was automatically of high class as he was in the right position to collect the ball," said former Indian wicketkeeper Sadanand Viswanath
Ashwin remains seventh in the bowlers' rankings but he has gained 33 rating points to reach within three points of sixth-ranked Stuart Broad and to within 21 of second-ranked Neil Wagner.
I am extremely impressed with Rishabh Pant's keeping today. I spent a lot of time with Ricky Ponting recently in Australia and he was praising Rishabh Pant's work ethic a lot.
After playing a key role in India's incredible series win in Australia last month, Pant said the comparisons with Dhoni are flattering but added he wants to carve his own identity in the game
The pacer also said that the Australian side would have their plans ready for Pant when India and Australia lock horns again. Pant had played a match-winning knock of 89 runs to help the visitors breach the Gabba Fortress
At the end of the second session, Jos Buttler and Ollie Pope were batting on 14 and 18 respectively, having stitched together a 18-run partnership for the sixth wicket.
Nearly 150 people were still feared missing and many killed and as many as 14 bodies have been recovered after the tragic incident that took place on Sunday morning.
