The former batsman turned famous commentator Sanjay Manjrekar has shared his frustration with them who are supporting Ravichandran Ashwin’s T20 bowling skills. He claimed on Thursday that he’ll never ever have somebody like Ashwin in his T20 team and he would like to have a “wicket-taker” like Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine in his team as well.
Sanjay Manjrekar said this after Delhi Capitals (DC) lost to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by three-wicket in IPL 2021 Qualifier 2. Ashwin, who came to bowl the final over, was economical in his first three overs and scalped two wickets in the final over as well. But, Rahul Tripathi hit a six and sealed the deal for KKR.
In an interaction with ESPNcricinfo, Sanjay Manjrekar said: “We have spent far too much talking about Ashwin. Ashwin, the T20 bowler, is not a great force in any team. And if you want Ashwin to change, I don’t think that’s going to happen because he’s been like this for the last five-seven years. I can understand us dwelling on Ashwin in Test matches where he’s fantastic. Him not playing a single Test match in England was a travesty. But to spend so much time on Ashwin when it comes to IPL and T20 cricket.”
R Ashwin Not A Wicket-Taker In T20 Cricket: Sanjay Manjrekar
He further added: “I think he has shown us in the last five years that he’s bowled exactly the same and I would never have somebody like Ashwin in my team because if I got turning pitches, I would expect people like Varun Chakrvarthy or Sunil Narine or [Yuzvendra] Chahal and how they do their job, they get you wickets.”
Sanjay Manjrekar again shared that no franchise will want him in their team if he just focuses on keeping the runs in check. However, Ashwin picked up just seven wickets at an average of 47.29 this season. On the other hand, with this win, KKR has reached their third final in IPL history. They will take on Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the final on Friday in Dubai as well.
He explained: “Ashwin has not been a wicket-taker in T20 cricket for long and I don’t think a franchise wants Ashwin in the team just to keep the runs down.”
“It’s not just only about pressure. If you see the batters who came in there at the end stages, you had Dinesh Karthik, who has clearly shown signs that he’s not in his prime and is carrying on a bit longer than he should. You can see in the way he’s keeping wickets as well. Morgan, he’s just completely lost it with his batting… and Shakib al Hasan who’s hardly played a game. Pressure is one thing but match form, self confidence [matter too]…,” Sanjay Manjrekar concluded.
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