'You could have taken a chance in the previous ball' - Ravi Ashwin reveals his conversation with MS Dhoni after the tied Test against West Indies in 2011

Ravi Ashwin’s debut Test series was a memorable one for him. He had won the Man of the Series award for his all-round show throughout the three Test matches against the West Indies. The off-spinner had picked 22 wickets and scored a hundred in the final game. Along with his performance, the series is also remembered famously for its last Test, which ended in a tie.

The debutant Ashwin was in the middle again during the final Test match played in Mumbai. It all came down to the wire, with the hosts being eight down and needing four runs off seven balls. Ishant Sharma got out in the penultimate over of the day, and Ravi Ashwin made sure to take the strike in the final over with three runs to win the match and seal the series 3-0.

But Fidel Edwards bowled exceptionally well in the final over, and when one run was needed off the last ball, Ashwin was run-out, and the game ended in a tie (or draw as they say). It was a thrilling finish to the game as all three results were possible even until the last two balls. But a few felt India should’ve won the match and questioned Ravi Ashwin for playing a dot ball on the penultimate ball when the team needed two runs off as many deliveries.

What did MS Dhoni tell Ravi Ashwin?

It was a fair result in the end as both sides played some excellent cricket for five days, and none deserved to lose. Though India didn’t win, Ravi Ashwin wasn’t criticized for his approach as the team had already sealed the series. However, after the match, the skipper MS Dhoni talked to him about the tense situation in the middle and revealed what he should’ve done.

Dhoni told the debutant that he should’ve taken a chance off the fifth ball of the final over instead of taking it to the last ball. “After the game, MS Dhoni came to me and said, ‘You could have taken a chance in the previous ball. Probably taken a single, and let Varun Aaron slog one off the last ball’. So yeah, that’s hindsight,” Ravi Ashwin said while speaking to Pakistan journalist Mazher Arshad on YouTube.

Interestingly, Ashwin had also tweeted after the Test match, asking the fans what differently he could’ve done in that situation. Moreover, he should’ve been applauded as well for making sure that India didn’t lose the match after a late collapse.