Former Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag lashed out at Rajasthan Royals' veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin over his remark stating that taking wickets in T20 is irrelevant. Ashwin is having a dismal outing in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 and has only picked up two wickets in 8 matches with an economy of 9.
Sehwag on Ashwin
Virender Sehwag slammed Ashwin and said that his remark was just like KL Rahul saying that strike rate doesn't matter. He even said with that mindset Ashwin won't be finding a spot in his team and might even go unsold in the auction next year.
"This is the same as when KL Rahul had said that the strike rate doesn't matter. Same thing. He said it for batting, Ashwin has said it for bowling that it doesn't matter if you get the wickets. If his stats aren't good, then he may not even get picked in the auction next year. When you pick a bowler, do you expect him to give away 25-30 runs or do you expect him to give you wickets and become man of the match twice or thrice?" Sehwag told Cricbuzz.
"All his competitors - Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav or anyone else - are getting the wickets. He thinks if he bowls off spin then anyone will hit him. Which is why he bowls his carrom bowl, which is why he is not getting any wickets. Maybe if he believes in his off spin or doosra, he can bag more wickets. But that's his mindset. But if I were a mentor or a coach of a franchise, I wouldn't think like that. If my bowler is thinking about saving runs and not taking wickets, he won't find a place in the team," he added.
RR on verge of qualifying for playoffs
Ashwin might have not performed to his full caliber but his team Rajasthan Royals has been the most successful team in the tournament so far. They have 8 wins in 9 matches and are on the verge of becoming the first team to make it into the playoffs this season.
They already have 16 points and one more win here will seal their playoff spot officially. RR are all set to compete against Sunrisers Hyderabad in their next game at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, on May 2.
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