Former India cricketer Virender Sehwag, who has seen Ravichandran Ashwin operate under the leadership of ex-skipper MS Dhoni, claimed that the latter did not allow the spinner to experiment.
Sehwag Slams Ashwin
Sehwag revealed Ashwin who has a mindset that if he bowls off-spin – he would get hit – came up with new variants to keep the batter guessing. But under Dhoni, he was not allowed to use them claims Sehwag
“Ravichandran Ashwin has a mindset that if he bowls off-spin, anyone will hit him for a four or a six. Because of this fear, he resorts to experimentation. When MS Dhoni used to be behind the wickets, he never allowed Ashwin to experiment. Sometimes you need to make a bowler realize that no doubt a batsman may hit you for a six but it also gives you a chance to get him out.”
Sehwag reckoned Ashwin, who conceded 22 runs in 2.5 overs – was trying too many things. The ex-India opener feels that gives him the least chances of taking a wicket and as a senior spinner he is expected to get the breakthroughs in the middle phase.
“The way he was bowling, it gives him the least chance to dismiss a batsman. If he resorts to off-spin, then LBW, bowled comes into the equation. Yes, he was economical but as a senior bowler, he should give breakthroughs in the middle overs,” Sehwag further explained.
Thus, Sehwag feels Ashwin is not fully confident in bowling off-spin due to the fear of being hit. It will be interesting to see how the 34-year-old goes ahead with the ball in hand in the upcoming encounters for the table-toppers DC franchise.
Even Ashish Nehra echoed Sehwag’s comments, saying he felt that Ashwin was too scared of getting hit which is why he didn’t bowl many wicket-taking deliveries.
“I will give them four stars. The manner in which Nortje bowled, his bowling was 7-star, Axar Patel also bowled well. I gave four stars because Ravichandran Ashwin couldn’t bowl the way we expect from a great bowler. He has a lot of experience but we did not get to see Ashwin bowl off-spin. It looked like he was scared of getting hit by the batsman,” said Nehra.
DC will next lock horns with Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Abu Dhabi on Saturday (September 25).
