Ravi Ashwin has the mentality of a fast bowler: Deep Dasgupta

It has been a strong start for the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL 2022 with three victories in four league matches. The team is seen riding on the good form of their experienced players like Jos Buttler and Yuzvendra Chahal. Currently, they are facing the Gujarat Titans (GT) in their fifth match of this season. The former Indian cricketer turned commentator Deep Dasgupta shared his thoughts on key players of RR and the much-talked incident of Ravi Ashwin.

Deep talked about Ashwin having the most (43) wickets by a spinner in powerplay-overs of the IPL history with an economy of 6.45. He reckoned that the spinner can take wickets with a new ball, irrespective of it being red or white, and termed his mentality the same as of the fast bowler.

“If it’s a red-ball or white ball, he takes wickets in a consistent manner. Ashwin has the mentality of a fast bowler and is a wicket-taking option. He has the varieties and experience. In this season, he has used the carrom ball well against right-handers,” said Deep on Sky247.net presents ‘Not Just Cricket Show’ on CricTracker.

Deep further pointed out the fact of Samson not being fluent enough against the spinners, as compared to his proficiency to play fast bowlers. But after seeing his recent performances, he mentioned that the RR captain has vastly improved his strike rate against the spinners since 2021.

“Samson was not free-flowing against spin, but in the last 1 year, he has improved his craft in this aspect. Previously, he had come at no. 3 and face the fast bowlers in the first six overs until the 2020 edition. In the UAE leg of last season and this season, his strike rate has become quite better against spinners,” Deep added.

Ravi Ashwin retiring out was a good move: Deep Dasgupta

The former cricketer hailed the decision of Ashwin in the last game against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), where he retired out in the 19th over, as he could not accelerate and paved the way for youngster Riyan Parag. He thinks it’s quite a good move if every member of the team, including the support staff, agrees on this decision, and feels every player will be aware of this strategic move when such a situation arrives in the future.

“If the whole team and support staff agrees with it, it can be easily done and should be done. I am very glad this has happened with a senior player like Ashwin, who has himself done it. You get a validation when such a senior player does this as opposed to the youngsters doing it. We can see it more in the future, provided each team member is aware,” Deep added.

“Ashwin related the term football to this incident, I think it is like baseball, where each player has a fixed role, and the different players are assigned for different situations. The game is going towards the clarity of thought and specialization in the future,” Deep concluded.