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Chennai Super Kings (CSK) ace spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is unhappy with the lack of recognition bowlers get in T20 cricket. Ashwin is not convinced with Punjab Kings (PBKS) captain Shreyas Iyer getting the 'Player of the match' award for his unbeaten 42-ball 97. Instead, he wants impact player, pacer Vijaykumar Vyshak to get the award for his exceptional first two overs that halted Gujarat Titans' (GT) momentum in the run chase at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. Ashwin also noted that bowlers don't get enough recognition and there are plenty of awards for the batters.
"Actually, defensive bowling was what got Punjab through. After the match, Iyer and Ponting may praise bowlers for taking wickets, but secretly, this game's man of the match should have been Vijaykumar Vyshak, I have no doubt in my heart about that. There are at least 10 awards after the match, half of the players from both teams get something or the other, but if someone bowls this well, there is no award for that. Super Striker, Four, Six, everything is there, but no Super Ball," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
Vyshak was brought in as Priyansh Arya's replacement after the 13th over when GT's Sherfane Rutherford walked in to bat. He bowled with a wide yorker ploy which worked against Rutherford who was lethal against other bowlers. He bowled a few wides but conceded just 10 runs from first two overs. He conceded 18 in the penultimate over but still left 27 overs for Arshdeep Singh to defend in the last six balls.
Ashwin concerned over quality bowlers going for plenty
Ashwin went on to say that even the sponsored award goes to the bowler who bowls the fastest ball of the day irrespective of the result of that delivery. He pointed out that quality bowlers have conceded over 50 runs early in the IPL 2025.
"I remember there was a sponsored award for the fastest ball of the day. That ball may have gone for a six, but the bowler will get an award for that. The day is not far when a bowler will just run out of the ground with the ball, refusing to bowl. High-quality bowlers like Starc, Cummins, Archer, and Theekshana are going for over 50 runs, so something is there," he added.
The effect of SRH vs RR run-fest on Ashwin
The 38-year-old also revealed that the way bowlers were taken to the cleaners during the match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians, made him take a break and meditate before he walked out for the match against Mumbai Indians (MI).
"I was watching the SRH vs RR game before facing MI in the evening. After watching for a while, I took a break, drank some water, meditated for 10 minutes, and only then I left for the ground. I had to do that to forget and flush out what I watched, otherwise all of those boundaries will be on my mind while I bowl," the off-spinner said.
On his CSK return, Ashwin was impressive with the ball. He conceded 31 runs from his quota of four overs and dismissed Will Jacks cheaply.
