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Ravichandran Ashwin has been a revelation in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 with his impact performances with bat. Ashwin has delivered as a floater for Rajasthan Royals (RR) and most recently helped them finish in top two with an unbeaten 40 against Chennai Super Kings (CSK). The veteran bowling all-rounder has managed to impress former head coach Ravi Shastri in the new role as well.
Shastri believes that Ashwin has applied what he used to practice in nets. The 59-year-old had worked with the veteran closely for four years during his tenure as head coach.
“Ashwin got his net game out into the the middle. His shot selection, choice of bowlers to pick was perfect. He went after the spinners, no question about that. He went for 14-15 in his first over, when Moeen Ali was smacking it. No way he was going to let Moeen Ali or any other spinner. So he went after them,” Shastri told ESPNCricinfo.
However, Shastri was not surprised with the way Ashwin timed the ball against CSK batters. He lauded the Tamil Nadu-born cricketer for his achievements in Test cricket as a batter. Also, he feels that the setup at Rajasthan Royals (RR) franchise has brought out the best in him.
“Don't forget, the bloke's go five Test hundreds. He is perfectly capable of batting, wonderful timer of the ball. This innings, even with his experience, would just make him a better player. There was a situation where the game was in the balance but he took his chances and came out on top,” said Shastri.
"He is having a wonderful season, it is like a new lease of life for him. In a new team, with a good setup, his buddy (Yuzvendra) Chahal is bowling with him. Uncle Ashwin is in a good frame of mind.
Ashwin scored 40 runs from 23 deliveries in the run chase against CSK. So far, he has scored 183 runs in the season at an average of 30.50 including one half-century. Also, he has maintained an impressive strike rate of 146.60.
“Ash has tremendous confidence in his own abilities. It is about executing it right in the middle. Sometimes, you get ahead of the game but today he picked the right bowlers and knew exactly what he was looking for. He knew what the target was and he knew when a six was important. He got the right guys to get after and pulled off the shots superbly,” he said.
