'Brought out the David Warner inside me' - Ravi Ashwin on his chest-thumping celebration against CSK

Ravichandran Ashwin was at his all-round best on Friday (May 20) as Rajasthan Royals defeated Chennai Super Kings by five wickets to secure the second place in the IPL 2022 points table. It was a low-scoring affair at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai as CSK could only manage 150/6 in their allotted 20 overs while batting first. Ashwin took the all-important wicket of Devon Conway and gave away just 28 runs in his quota of four overs.

While the target wasn’t massive, RR’s sailing wasn’t smooth by any means. The likes of Jos Buttler, skipper Sanju Samson, and Shimron Hetmyer failed to make a mark as the required run rate climbed up towards the end of the innings. However, Ashwin didn’t put his guards down and played a remarkable knock. Coming to bat at number five, the 35-year-old initially assessed the conditions before unleashing the mighty hits.

Ravi Ashwin was mighty pleased with his stellar show

With the help of two fours and three maximums, Ashwin ended up scoring an unbeaten 40 off 23 balls as the Men in Pink crossed the line with two deliveries to spare. Meanwhile, besides the veteran spinner’s on-field heroics, his celebrations also became a talking point. Ashwin, who’s otherwise known for his calm demeanour, brought out a chest-thumping celebration after hitting Matheesha Pathirana for a decisive boundary in the last over.

Chest thumping celebration by @ashwinravi99, the man of the match, for his batting! #CSKvsRR #Ashwin #IPL2022 pic.twitter.com/SyKQLhlJgw

— Venkat Parthasarathy (@Venkrek) May 20, 2022

Evidently ecstatic with his performance, Ashwin thumped his chest several times after the ball hit the fence. The video of the same went viral in no time as several fans and experts hailed the all-rounder for his performance. Opening up about the celebration after the game, Ashwin stated: “I just brought out the David Warner inside me (laughs).”