Former India batter Virender Sehwag has raised concerns over veteran spin-bowling all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin‘s form in the ongoing season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Ashwin has struggled to pick wickets in IPL 2024, managing just two scalps in eight matches, and has also leaked over nine runs per over. Despite his struggles, Ashwin recently claimed that taking wickets in T20s is irrelevant. Reacting to his remark, Sehwag slammed Ashwin and said that the veteran might go unsold in the auction next season.
“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 said on Cricbuzz.
Slamming Ashwin for his mindset, Sehwag pointed out how his peers — Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav — have been picking at regular intervals.
“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.
Despite Ashwin’s poor form, his franchise RR sit top of the IPL 2024 points table with 16 points from nine matches.
RR need a win in their next game, against SunRisers Hyderabad, to qualify for the playoffs.
