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NDTV
12 hours ago
- Sport
- NDTV
R Ashwin Picks Two PBKS Stars Who May Not Get Due Credit After Shreyas Iyer's Solid Knock vs MI
Shreyas Iyer stepped up like he has been doing during the course of the IPL 2025 as Punjab Kings beat five-time champions Mumbai Indians to enter the final. Iyer's unbeaten 87 off 41 deliveries powered the franchise into their second Indian Premier League (IPL) final, and first in eleven years, with a five-wicket win over the five time champions Mumbai Indians (MI). Chasing a stiff target of 204, Punjab showed both aggression and composure to overhaul the total with an over to spare, thanks largely to Iyer's clean striking and calculated leadership in the middle. Chennai Super Kings star bowler Ravichandran Ashwin also credited two other players for the win. Australian Josh Inglis then took charge alongside Iyer, stroking a confident 38 off 21 deliveries, including five boundaries and two sixes. Then, with pressure building, Nehal Wadhera partnered with Iyer to put together a critical 84-run stand, maintaining the required rate. "I definitely appreciate Shreyas for a couple of shots - that six over extra cover against Ashwini Kumar off a free hit. Whenever they needed a boundary, he got it. But the game-changing batter was Josh Inglis, along with Nehal Wadhera. Iyer is popular, so the credit that needs to go to Inglis and Wadhera might not end up going. But he played a 20-run over against Bumrah in the powerplay. They got Bumrah to stop the run-scoring and get a wicket. But not only did he not get a wicket, he was also hit for 20 runs. How did he do it? Inglis scored a six against the slower ball on the leg side, then waited to hit one over third man. The moment that the slower one went for a six, Bumrah did not have any option. He had to go hard length into the pitch. That one particular over changed the tide of the game," he said on Ash ki Baat. "There is also a runaway superstar in the Punjab team, and we might see a lot of him in Indian cricket— Priyansh Arya. If you noticed today, he got out in the powerplay, but scored 20 off 10 balls. MI got two wickets in the powerplay, but his knock gave Punjab the momentum and gave Iyer the luxury to stay on course with Wadhera." Having already led Delhi Capitals (DC) (2020) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) (2024) to the summit clash, lifting the title with KKR, Iyer now becomes the first captain to reach three IPL finals with three different franchises. With this, he also has a shot at becoming a two-time IPL-winning captain, a feat very few have achieved. This was Punjab's first playoffs after eleven years. Listen to the latest songs, only on
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Ashwin rejects Shreyas Iyer narrative, picks PBKS' 'game-changers': 'Will see this runaway superstar in Team India soon'
World cricket has gone ga-ga over Shreyas Iyer after his heroic knock of an unbeaten 87 against the Mumbai Indians on Sunday in the IPL 2025 Qualifier 2 match at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. His efforts saw Punjab Kings prevail in the 204-run chase with an over to spare as they reached their first IPL final in 11 years and now stand a win away from claiming their maiden title. However, former India cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin rejected the narrative around Iyer, as he pointed out not one but three players who made a real impact in the chase, but never got enough credit. Speaking on his YouTube show 'Ash ki Baat', Ashwin admitted that while Iyer was instrumental in the run chase, getting boundaries when needed, but claimed that his "popularity" denied Nehal Wadhera, Josh Inglis and Priyansh Arya of also getting the credit for the win. Ashwin was in absolute awe of Inglis' 20-run over against Jasprit Bumrah, which denied the India star a wicket in the powerplay and dented Mumbai's early plans to defend 203 in the rain-interrupted match. "I definitely appreciate Shreyas for a couple of shots - that six over extra cover against Ashwini Kumar off a free hit. Whenever they needed a boundary, he got it. But the game-changing batter was Josh Inglis, along with Nehal Wadhera. Iyer is popular, so the credit that needs to go to Inglis and Wadhera might not end up going. But he played a 20-run over against Bumrah in the powerplay. They got Bumrah to stop the run-scoring and get a wicket. But not only did he not get a wicket, he was also hit for 20 runs. How did he do it? Inglis scored a six against the slower ball on the leg side, then waited to hit one over third man. The moment that the slower one went for a six, Bumrah did not have any option. He had to go hard length into the pitch. That one particular over changed the tide of the game," he said. The Aussie scored a 21-ball 38, followed by a fiery 48 off 29 from Wadhera, as Punjab remained on course throughout the chase. Ashwin, however, said that Mumbai were at least 15-20 runs short on the track, which Australia legend Matthew Hayden pointed out in the mid-innings analysis on Star Sports. "But Mumbai were always 15 runs short. In Ahmedabad, if you can't score 220, it won't be easy. It's going by the Gujarat Titans template, who have always exceeded 220 on a red-soil pitch. Hayden had said the same thing during the mid-innings chat," he added. The legendary bowler, who retired from international cricket in December last year, did not forget to praise Arya for his cameo knock in the powerplay, where he scored 20 off 10, comprising two boundaries and a six. He said that his fiery start gave Punjab the much-needed momentum before Iyer and the rest of the line-up capitalised on it. In conclusion, he reckoned Arya could soon break into the Indian team after his heroics in IPL 2025. "There is also a runaway superstar in the Punjab team, and we might see a lot of him in Indian cricket—Priyansh Arya. If you noticed today, he got out in the powerplay, but scored 20 off 10 balls. MI got two wickets in the powerplay, but his knock gave Punjab the momentum and gave Iyer the luxury to stay on course with Wadhera."
NDTV
5 days ago
- Sport
- NDTV
"Captain's Job Is To...": R Ashwin Schools Rishabh Pant Over Jitesh Sharma-Digvesh Rathi Incident
The Jitesh Sharma -Digvesh Rathi incident during the Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Lucknow Super Giants game on Tuesday once again gave rise to debates regaring a controversial mode of dismissal in cricket. LSG spinner Digvesh tried to run out RCB's Jitesh at the non-striker's end on the final ball of the 17th over of the innings. While TV umpire concluded it as not out based on the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) laws, the camera showed that LSG captain Rishabh Pant too intervened there and decided to withdraw the appeal. Speaking about the incident, former India all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin has backed the young player. "As an owner of LSG, I will be thinking that I need Jitesh Sharma's wicket. If he has stepped outside the crease, he is out. Now let me dive into the technicality of the incident. Is he justified in being out if he stepped outside the crease before Digvesh Rathi got into the delivery stride? Yes. Would it be bad for RCB? Yes, again, because they would not have liked Rathi or Pant if they did that. Now let's dive into the real-case scenario. When Rathi landed his front foot, Jitesh was inside the crease. So, this was not out. After breaking the stumps, umpire Michael Gough asked him whether he was appealing, and not whether he was sure. He said, 'Yes, I'm appealing.' So the decision went to the third umpire, and the right decision was made," said Ashwin on his YouTube channel ' Ash ki Baat '. Ashwin felt that Pant should not have asked for the withdrawl of the appeal as it was within the rules of cricket. "Until now, everything was right. But after that, commentators started saying that 'Pant has withdrawn the appeal - what an amazing act of sportsmanship.' Grow out of this," he said. "I am a big fan of Pant. I'm clarifying it yet again before being targeted by people. But think, you are the father of Rathi, and his captain, in front of crores of people, criticised him. He actually went over the board because a captain's job is to back a bowler and not make him feel small. "Stop this vilification of the youngster in front of crores of people. Do we do that to anybody else? Why does a bowler have to look small? It's actually a humiliation. And what will happen is that he will never do this again." Notably, Ashwin had himself been a victim of the criticism for effecting such a dismissal back in IPL 2019. Playing for Kings XI Punjab, Ashwin had run out then Rajasthan Royals batter Jos Buttler at the non-striker's end during his bowling. Listen to the latest songs, only on
India Today
6 days ago
- Sport
- India Today
IPL 2025: R Ashwin slams Rishabh Pant for Digvesh Rathi run-out controversy
R Ashwin has slammed Rishabh Pant for deciding to withdraw the appeal from Digvesh Rathi for the run-out at the non-striker's end during the LSG vs RCB game in Lucknow. The match was at a crucial point when Digvesh decided to whip off the bails at the non-striker's end as Jitesh appeared to have stepped out of the crease. However, the third umpire revealed that the RCB stand-in skipper was safe as Digvesh had already completed his delivery stride before attempting the run-out, thus rendering the dismissal invalid under the laws of the it was then shown that Pant had actually withdrawn the appeal as the commentators congratulated the LSG captain for his sportsmanship. However, Ashwin wasn't too happy to see this call from the wicketkeeper. Speaking on Ash ki Baat, the veteran spinner said that it was Pant's job to back Digvesh and not make him feel small. Ashwin also said that the vilification of the bowler needs to end in such situations. 'Captain's job is actually to back a player. A captain's job is not to make a bowler feel small. By making this decision of pulling away an appeal, ye pehle karna chahiye tha (should have discussed earlier)."'We don't know if they discussed, but let's stop this vilification of that youngster in front of crores and crores of people. Do we do that to anybody else? Why does a bowler look small? It is actually a humiliation," said Ashwin. 'This will affect Digvesh'advertisementAshwin feels that in such a situation, Digvesh will never do that again and asked why he should don't do that again. The veteran spinner said that it will really affect the LSG spinner and it was insulting to withdraw the appeal in front of the viewers. 'So what happens is a bowler feels so small that he will never do that again. People will say that he should never do that (run out at the non-striker's end) again. Why should he not do that? It is actually not about the rule. The batsman taking an extra step gives him an opportunity to finish a two."'Digvesh Rathi is not my relative, not my friend. I don't know who he is. But I am saying ki ek bowler ko itna scar kar doge aap aisa karne mein (you will scar the bowler so much) that it will really affect him. But because nobody really cares about a bowler. So you can insult him by withdrawing his appeal in front of crores of people," said Ashwin. Jitesh went on to score 85 off 33 balls and guide RCB to the win that got them a top-two finish. Tune InMust Watch IN THIS STORY#IPL 2025
India Gazette
15-05-2025
- Sport
- India Gazette
Ashwin suggests long-time teammate's name for India Test captaincy role
Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], May 15 (ANI): Former Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin gave his take on India's leadership vacuum following the retirements of senior batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli and threw out long-time spin bowling partner Ravindra Jadeja's name as one of the choices for captaincy. Ashwin was speaking on his Youtube Channel 'Ash ki Baat' on Thursday. Speaking about possible captaincy contenders, Ashwin said, 'There are obvious choices, but I want to throw in another name as well - Ravindra Jadeja. There is always news on who will be made captain or vice-captain, but their name should first be in the playing XI of the team. He must be an automatic selection.' 'Let us not forget, Jadeja is the most experienced player in the team. He should be in the conversation. If you're willing to train a new guy for two years and then make him captain, Jadeja can do that for two years too. They (India) can even play him as vice-captain (under Jadeja),' he added. While Jadeja has not captained India in any format, he has some leadership experience, having captained Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the 2022 IPL season and had poor results, just winning two out of eight matches, and, handed over captaincy mid-season back to MS Dhoni. But still, at the age of 36, with a 13-year-old career in Tests behind him, Jadeja is the most experienced player in the team, with 3,370 runs in 80 Tests at an average of 34.74, four centuries and 22 fifties, and 323 wickets. He also acknowledged that the most popular name as per reports, going forward for the Indian captaincy is Shubman Gill. Ashwin also made comparisons of Gill's likely appointment to the role to South African legend Graeme Smith, who took over Proteas' leadership back in 2003 at just 22 years of age. Speaking further on Gill's potential appointment as a captain, he added, 'I hope Gujarat Titans qualify for the IPL playoffs. If Gill gains honour there, it might make his transition to leadership easier.' Currently, Gill-led GT is at the top of the points table, with eight wins and three losses, giving them 16 points. On Jasprit Bumrah's captaincy appointment under cloud due to workload and injury concerns, Ashwin said, 'I am very, very upset and disappointed that Jasprit Bumrah will not get the captaincy (of India). I think he is a national treasure. Bumrah has had one major surgery. I'll be very surprised if he plays all five Tests in a series. He needs to be given breaks to recover.' Bumrah has captained India in three matches, with a win at Perth by 295 runs during the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy being his crowning achievement. He has lost rest of his two games as a captain to England away from home and Australia in away conditions too. (ANI)
