Ravichandran Ashwin has not been given his full quota of overs by captain MS Dhoni in a few IPL matches. But, former India pacer Ajit Agarkar backs dhoni’s decision. Agarkar feels Dhoni has full faith on Ashwin. “At times it may seem odd but I don’t think it is due to any lack of faith. When Pune came to Mumbai to take on Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium last month, it was a seamers’ wicket and Ashwin’s bowling was not needed,” Agarkar told.
Ashwin bowled just one over for one wicket in that IPL opener on April 9 that RPS won easily after restricting the home team and title holders to 121 for 8. “You have to remember that when the IPL games were played in spin-friendly conditions in Chennai, he used to open the bowling. The conditions matter,” Agarkar added.
Agarkar is among the four-member ex-cricketers’ panel – Australia’s Dirk Nannes, South Africa’s Darryl Cullinan and New Zealand’s Iain O’Brien being the others – which conducts the IPL-related show ‘The Friendly Toast’, presented by a cricket website.
A controversy had arisen post the World T20 championship in which India were knocked out by eventual champions West Indies in the semi-final in Mumbai on March 31 after Ashwin bowled only two overs for 20 runs in the power-play and then was not brought on to bowl again by Dhoni.
Ashwin got peeved when asked about it at the pre-match media conference in Mumbai before RPS took on Mumbai Indians and gave a tongue lashing to the journalist who had asked the question whether he found it difficult to bowl following the dew-fall, the reason cited by Dhoni for the ineffectiveness of the Indian spinners.
“When there was dew, I didn’t bowl. It’s better you ask the question to someone who actually bowled. To be very honest, I don’t know how it felt with the dew on. It’s very amusing. Because in the first 12 balls I bowled, I created a wicket-opportunity as well. It’s quite surprising how you phrase your question,” Ashwin retorted.