IPL 2018: Match 2, Player Battles – Ravi Ashwin vs Gautam Gambhir

Ravichandran Ashwin is set to join a rare list of bowlers who led a team in the Indian Premier League which often witnessed batsmen and keepers as captains. Shane Warne and Daniel Vettori led the Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore for a couple of seasons while the Indian spinners Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh led RCB and MI respectively in a season. Alongside leading the team, Ashwin have to play a role of guiding the young spinners and bring out the best of them.

His KXIP side will be up against the Delhi Daredevils in the first game which is filled up with some big hitting overseas stars and young Indian batting talents. Ashwin might have a sigh of relief in the absence of Glenn Maxwell from the game. The Australian all-rounder scored 83 runs against Ashwin in just 35 deliveries with help of eight fours and six sixes in the league. However, Ashwin still has to deal the likes of Gautam Gambhir, Rishabh Pant and Colin Munro.

The Delhi Daredevils skipper Gambhir is well known for his skill against the spinners but often found struggling against Ashwin. His record against the off-spinner isn’t pleasing as he scored only 43 runs in the 47 balls he faced striking at 91.49. Gambhir played 22 dots of the 47 balls he faced from Ashwin and scored five boundaries. Ashwin claimed the left-hander’s wicket twice in the Indian Premier League till date.

Gautam Gambhir vs Ravichandran Ashwin in the IPL:

Gambhir’s S/R of 91.49 is the lowest for him against any bowler in the IPL where he scored 40 and more runs in their bowling. The Delhi lad possesses an S/R of 92.31 and 93.48 against Shane Watson and Sandeep Sharma respectively. Gambhir’s S/R is the 4th lowest for any batsman against Ashwin as the likes of Shikhar Dhawan, Chris Gayle and Rohit Sharma have a lower S/R. Gayle got out to the off-spinner on four occasions in the IPL and a 61% of the balls he faced off Ashwin been dot deliveries.

Lowest S/R against any bowler for Gautam Gambhir in the IPL:

Lowest S/R against any batsman against Ravichandran Ashwin in the IPL:

(Stats as on April 7, 2018)