'He has done a great job' - RR skipper Sanju Samson all praise for 'great all-rounder' Ravi Ashwin

Rajasthan Royals have secured the second place in the IPL 2022 team standings with a thrilling five-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings on Friday (May 20). It was RR’s last league game of the season and they needed a win to get the second spot. The Men in Pink were firmly in command at the halfway mark, having restricted CSK to 150/6 in their allotted 20 overs.

However, their chase was far from smooth as big guns like Jos Buttler, skipper Sanju Samson and Shimron Hetmyer endured failures. Nevertheless, Ravichandran Ashwin stepped up and played a delightful knock. With the help of two boundaries and three sixes, the veteran smashed an unbeaten 40 off 23 balls as RR crossed the line with a couple of deliveries to spare.

Ravi Ashwin batted a lot in the nets before the season: Sanju Samson

Notably, Ashwin, who came to bat at number five against CSK, has been constantly batting up the order this season. He even smashed a half-century against Delhi Capitals while batting at number three. Needless to mention, skipper Samson was mighty pleased with the veteran’s stellar show and he expressed the same after the contest.

“Ashwin has done a great job and has turned out to be a great all-rounder for us. He batted a lot in the nets before the season,” Samson said. Meanwhile, the wicketkeeper-batter also stated that RR deserve to finish in the top two, given the performance they have put up this season. “The way we’ve played throughout the league stage stands out. We’ve had great games where almost everyone has stood up to win games. We deserve to be in this position is what I feel,” Samson said.

Meanwhile, RR will now meet the high-flying Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 1, which will take place at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on March 24. While the winner will advance straight to the finals, the loser will get another shot in Qualifier 2.