This is not Ravichandran Ashwin’s week. After all the criticism, After facing criticism for ‘Mankading’ Jos Buttler earlier this week, Ashwin’s now being censured for his mistake during the Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) vs Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) match yesterday. He forgot to check the number of mandatory fielders inside the 30-yard circle on that delivery.
To top it all, Mohammed Shami got the wicket of dangerous in-form player Andre Russell on the same delivery. The no-ball was not Shami’s fault. He did everything right by dismissing Russell cheaply by bowling a perfect yorker disturbing the timber. But Ashwin did not realise that there were only three fielders inside the circle instead of four.
The 32-year-old’s blunder costed KXIP 45 runs off 12 deliveries that the KKR all-rounder faced after getting a second life. Shami felt the brunt of it as he got hit for 3 sixes and 1 four in the penultimate over. The Jamaican’s carnage was the reason why KKR got to a formidable total of 218 for 4 in the first innings.
Ashwin faces the heat after debutant’s faux pashttps://t.co/FiTMQuqNCM
— Faizal Khan (@faizalkhanm9) March 28, 2019
As KXIP fell short of 28 runs in the runchase, Ashwin took the blame for the no-ball incident in the 17th over,
“We weren’t really focused on the small things and they do cost you big in this format. Yes, we definitely have to look at it next game. I’ll take the blame (for the no-ball incident). I should have had a look at it. At that stage, with the slog on, you hope the fielders are switched on but obviously he (Varun Chakravarthy or Hardus Viljoen) was a debutant,”
Russell was adjudged ‘man of the match’ for his yet another whirlwind innings and economical bowling. He thanked the KXIP debutant for giving him a second life,
“Thanks to that guy who was outside the ring. It’s the new guy, forgot his name. Thank you. When I get bowled, I thought I had missed out but I saw the guys in dug out signalling no-ball and I was like, please God, let it be a no-ball. I did not let it go and capitalised on it,”
ALSO READ: Ricky Ponting Sets An Example For Coaches, Solves Watson-Rabada Tension Post-Match
ALSO WATCH:
