Home
Former Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has come in defense of Delhi Capitals (DC) Karun Nair who dropped two catches in a space of three deliveries, letting Shreyas Iyer take Punjab Kings (PBKS) over the line. Ashwin said that Nair was not a part of the playing eleven, unlikely to be introduced as an impact player and coming in as a substitute fielding is not always easy.
Nair was fielding at long on because a fatigued KL Rahul left the field and Tristan Stubbs was keeping wickets. Normally, David Miller and Stubbs patrol the straight boundaries but Stubbs had to play the wicketkeeper role which led to Nair stepping up. He took a fantastic catch to dismiss Nehal Wadhera but dropped Iyer twice in the slog overs, ruling out his team’s comeback in a high-scoring game where DC were already a bowler short.
“You've mentioned Karun Nair 3-4 times. KL Rahul scored 150. He got dehydrated and left the field. Then Tristan Stubbs kept wickets. That's why he [Stubbs] wasn't at long-on/long-off. DC's trusted fielder Stubbs wasn't at his designated position and a substitute took his place. It is not easy,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel ‘Ash Ki Baat’ as Nair’s dropped catches were cited as reasons behind DC’s loss.
"Let me tell you about Karun Nair’s situation. When a player knows they aren't in the playing XI, they usually find out at least a day in advance. Players who are dropped or rested often hit the gym or do extra training on match days to stay fit, knowing the next day might be a travel day with late-night flights and limited practice time.
“So, maybe Karun Nair was mentally "switched off" — though that’s probably the wrong word — but he might have been fatigued from training. I’m not making excuses, but for a substitute to suddenly step into the intensity of the game, these things can happen.”
Ashwin further said that Nair is a good fielder, especially in close-in positions and he just had an off day.
”He dropped one catch, and his confidence just plummeted after that. Karun is actually a fabulous fielder; I’ve seen him be very reliable in first-class and red-ball cricket, especially in close-in positions. I’ve rarely seen him drop catches like that, but today was just one of those days," he added.
However, while defending Nair, he bashed the DC team management. He feels that Abishek Porel should’ve kept wickets when Rahul went out as a substitute fielder is allowed to take up the wicketkeeper role.
“Rahul was sitting out so your fielder who is used to fielding at hotspots was keeping wickets. I have just one question. If Rahul is not going to come into the game, why didn't you use Abishek Porel?” Ashwin asked.
However, Porel was not named in the extended lineup – the options for impact player role. The rest of the squad cannot take part in the game. Had Porel been named as one of the potential impact player, he would’ve walked in and taken the gloves. Vipraj Nigam had already come in as Lungi Ngidi’s concussion substitute. Auqib Nabi was the impact player. The other two options were Dushmantha Chameera and Ashutosh Sharam.
ADVERTISEMENT
