India Cricket Update: Sanjay Manjrekar, a former Indian cricketer, has claimed that he would never have a bowler like Ravi Ashwin in his T20 squad. Former batsman Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy both claimed that wicket-taking bowlers like Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy would be preferred. Manjrekar made his remarks after Ashwin failed to protect seven runs off the final over against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League's second qualifier (IPL).
Ashwin got off to a great start by dismissing Shakib Al Hasan and Sunil Narine in successive deliveries. He did, though, throw a half-tracker wide outside the off-stump to Rahul Tripathi, who despatched it over long-off to send his team home. Ashwin, who had kept things close up until that point, bowled one poor ball, costing DC a spot in the final.
-We have spent far too much talking about Ashwin. Ashwin, the T20 bowler, is not a great force in any team. And if you want Ashwin to change, I don-t think that-s going to happen because he-s been like this for the last five-seven years. I can understand us dwelling on Ashwin in Test matches where he-s fantastic.
-Him not playing a single Test match in England was a travesty. But to spend so much time on Ashwin when it comes to IPL and T20 cricket,- Manjrekar said, as mentioned in a sports news article.
Ravi Ashwin has bowled the same style in all three forms for the past five years, according to the cricketer-turned-expert. On a turning wicket, Manjrekar stated he prefers Chakravarthy or Yuzvendra Chahal in the lineup.
-I think he has shown us in the last five years that he-s bowled exactly the same and I would never have somebody like Ashwin in my team because if I got turning pitches, I would expect people like Varun Chakravarthy or Sunil Narine or [Yuzvendra] Chahal and how they do their job, they get you wickets,- Manjrekar added
Sanjay Manjrekar concluded by saying that franchises might not be interested in having Ashwin in the team due to his lack of ability to pick wickets. -Ashwin has not been a wicket-taker in live T20 cricket for long, and I don-t think a franchise wants Ashwin in the team just to keep the runs down,- the 56-year-old said.