Ashwin goes down memory lane
Ravichandran Ashwin retired from the league last season. During JioStar’s ‘The Ravichandran Ashwin Experience’, the former Indian cricketer and JioStar analyst discussed the controversial dismissal of Jos Buttler, the taboo attached to it, MS Dhoni’s skills with the gloves, and his experiences with PBKS and RR.
HYDERABAD: A multiple-time TATA IPL winner, former Captain, and seasoned campaigner across multiple franchises, Ravichandran Ashwin retired from the league last season. Speaking on JioStar’s ‘The Ravichandran Ashwin Experience’, the former India bowler and JioStar expert spoke about the infamous Jos Buttler dismissal, the taboo surrounding it, MS Dhoni’s glovework, and his stints with PBKS and RR.“A lot of people talk about character, say this is wrong, or that the player is wrong. After hearing all that, I felt like doing it even more, not to prove a point to people. There was a moment when I was Captain against Mumbai, and we needed two runs. I was at extra cover and told the bowler to run him out at the non-striker’s end. The batter ran, but the bowler refused because people say it’s wrong. If the ICC felt this was an honesty problem, they wouldn’t keep it in the rules. If you need two runs off one ball and you start running early, whose fault is it? People say Jos Buttler didn’t try to run, but that’s not my problem. People also say I did it to win. Of course, I did it to win. What is there to be ashamed of? After I ran him out, I called the team and said, ‘This will look different to them, they will lose, don’t worry about the reaction, I will handle the media, we just have to win.’ And we won. So, there is no issue of character in this.”
On the ‘spirit of cricket’ debate and taboo around the dismissal:
“Other bowlers should also do it. Why don’t they? Because of the first thought that comes to mind, ‘What will people say?’ It has become a kind of societal pressure, whether it is right or wrong. This started with umpires asking Captains if they want to withdraw the appeal. If you withdraw, you are seen as good, which is also wrong, because you let your bowler down in front of everyone. This decision should belong to the bowler and giving out or not is the umpire’s job. Why make a rule so complex? Like LBW, this is also out. Many cricketers tweeted that this is bad. My answer is simple: I didn’t steal, I didn’t do anything wrong, I played within the laws. Those who talk like this, I can file a case against them in court. What they are doing is character assassination. I am very proud of it, I will continue to be, and whoever does it, I will praise them even more.”
On that dismissal of Chris Gayle in the TATA IPL 2011 Final and MS Dhoni’s glovework:
“The first one was the setup ball; it spun, so on the next one, I expected him to go on the backfoot. I had bowled a couple going away, then went for the arm ball. I knew he would look for turn, but it came in. You can talk about the setup and the dismissal, but how well MS took that catch. It wasn’t easy. His glove work has always amazed me. People talk a lot about his captaincy, and rightly so, the titles speak for themselves. But for me, two things stand out, one, how good a middle-order batter he was, someone who could take the game deep and finish it. And the second is his keeping against spinners. I haven’t seen anyone else like him. He never set the field for me. I would set my own field, and he would just say, ‘Don’t double-guess. Don’t pre-empt. If you get hit, it’s fine. If someone takes a risk, let it be. Just bowl to your field.’ He never came into my space because he knew I came prepared and had done my planning. He trusted that.”
On taking up the leadership role for Punjab:
“When Punjab picked me in 2018, I knew I was moving on. My time had come to take on leadership. As an international cricketer, I had progressed; I was the ICC Cricketer of the Year in 2016. As a person, you look for growth. Even around the 2014 season, during retention talks, a couple of teams had approached me about leading them, but I couldn’t take that opportunity then. Rajasthan and Punjab both had the intent of making me Captain. I went to Punjab. I spent two years there and honestly, gave it everything. But I have a slight feeling that I couldn’t make that team my own. At an auction, you get the chance to build your team. Viru pa picked me, but the team couldn’t quite be built around me. In the second year, things were a bit up and down, but we brought in players like Prabhsimran, Arshdeep Singh and Nicholas Pooran with the future in mind. I may not have achieved much as a Captain, but the learnings were immense.”
On his stint with RR and the only regret:
“I went to Punjab in 2018, and then to Delhi. I had a good time in Delhi as well, but Punjab made me stronger and more capable. I think I became a better cricketer after 2020 because of that phase. I learned a lot about building relationships, something that is essential if you want to be a leader, a Captain or a Coach. It’s about making a player feel like a million dollars, and I learned that in Punjab. COVID struck, but then RR bid for me. I spent three years there, and that stint helped me make a comeback to the Indian team. The way RR utilised me was first-class, and I enjoyed my cricket there like nowhere else, not even during my Under-19 or Under-22 days with Tamil Nadu. Those three years at RR were special. My only small regret is that I couldn’t win a title with RR. We reached a final and a Qualifier 2 but couldn’t go all the wayOne year, we came close to qualifying but missed out. That was one small regret.”
