'Unhe Khud Bhi 1-2 Wickets Lete Huye Sharam...': Kapil Dev Unimpressed With Ashwin's T20 WC Form
R Ashwin hasn't been able to create much impact with his bowling on pace-friendly Australian pitches but he scored the winning runs for his team in T20 WC match against Pakistan.
IND vs ENG: Rohit Sharma-led team India wrapped up the Super 12 stage of T20 World Cup 2022 with a clinical win over Zimbabwe at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Sunday. By the virtue of this win, the Men in Blue dethroned Pakistan to move to top-spot in Group-2 Points Table and also qualified for the semi finals. Batting first, Suryakumar Yadav played a fiery 25-ball 61-run knock to help India post a mammoth 184 on board against Zimbabwe. In reply, Zimbabwe top-order were blown away by lethal pace from India bowlers. They lost five wickets inside the first eight overs. Later, veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin struggled initially but ended up taking three wickets to wrap up things in style. Notably, before the match against Zimbabwe, Ashwin had picked just three wickets in 4 games in the tournament.
1983 World Cup winning skipper Kapil Dev said it seemed that Ashwin was himself feeling embarrassed on taking wickets. Also, the former India skipper suggested that the team management have the option to include leg-spinner in playing XI against England in semis to surprise them.
"Until now, Ashwin hasn't given me confidence. He picked up wickets today but it didn't look as if he got them. In fact, batsmen iss tarah out huye ki unhe khud bhi 1-2 wickets lete huye sharam aa rahi thi. He was hiding his face. Picking up wickets obviously gives you that confidence but the Ashwin we know, we haven't seen him show the same rhythm," said Kapil on ABP News.
"It depends on the team management. If they have the confidence in Ashwin, it's good. He has played the entire tournament so he can adjust if need be. But if you want to surprise the opposition, they can always turn to the wrist-spinner (Chahal). Whoever wins the confidence of the management and captain, will play," Kapil concluded.
For the unversed, Ashwin is the highest wicket-taker for team India in the history of T20 World Cups. So far, Ashwin hasn't been able to create much impact with his bowling on pace-friendly Australian pitches but he scored the winning runs for his team in T20 WC match against Pakistan.
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