'His mindset is different, tries for wickets with variations': India great slams Ashwin for bowling carrom balls vs GT
Ashwin gave away 32 runs in three overs without claiming any wickets in the IPL 2022 final against Gujarat Titans.
Gujarat Titans on Sunday registered IPL triumph in their debut season after they hammered Rajasthan Royals in front of almost 105,000 home fans. It was a fairytale finish for a team that entered the expanded 10-team IPL this year alongside Lucknow Super Giants. Gujarat skipper Hardik Pandya set up victory with his key wickets including Jos Buttler's prized scalp for 39 after Rajasthan, led by Sanju Samson, elected to bat first. IPL 2022 Full Coverage
Chasing a modest 131 for the win, Gujarat lost Wriddhiman Saha for five and Matthew Wade for eight before Gill and Pandya put the chase back on track. The pair put on 63 runs for the third wicket to put the pressure back on the bowling side. In-form Hardik even smashed Ravichandran Ashwin for a four and six in the 12th over. The seasoned tweaker, bought by Rajasthan for ₹5 crore in the February auction, opted to bowl a bunch of carrom balls instead of regulation off-spin. He gave away 32 runs in three overs without claiming any wickets.
Former India opener Virender Sehwag has questioned Ashwin's bowling approach, saying he should have stuck to conventional off-spin on the surface. “Ashwin should have stuck with his off-spin deliveries because it was troubling the batters. Instead, he bowled his carrom balls," Sehwag told Cricbuzz.
“There was even a rough patch formed by the end, that could have troubled Gill. He could have tried to dismiss Pandya as well like that. But, his mindset is different, tries for wickets with his variations," he further added.
Sehwag also believes Rajasthan missed a trick by not including an extra pacer instead of Riyan Parag for the title showdown. The Royals were restricted to 130/9, which was chased by the IPL newbies in just 18.1 overs at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
"RR knew how hard it is to play pacers on this surface, but they still went with both their spinners instead of a fourth fast bowling option. They will also question themselves that should they have batted first after winning the toss after chasing so well in Qualifier 2.”
“They could have played a pacer instead of Riyan Parag because even Ashwin can bat that much.”
Former India stumper Parthiv Patel also said that Rajasthan could have turned things around if Yuzvendra Chahal hadn't dropped Shubman Gill early in the run-chase.
“It would have been better had RR taken one more wicket in the powerplay, they had created the pressure. The complexion of the game would have been different had Gill’s catch been taken. But it was sort of given that if GT play for 18-19 overs, they would chase this down, it was not a big target," he said.
