Rishabh Pant Let Me Down - Ravichandran Ashwin Jokes About The Incorrect DRS Calls In The England Test Series

India’s premier off-spinner, Ravichandran Ashwin believes that people need to cut him some slack for the criticism he has received because of his several incorrect calls while using the Decision Review System (DRS) in the recent home Test series against England.

Instead, the off-spinner, light-heartedly, pins the blame on wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant. R Ashwin, who bagged the Man of the Series award for his terrific all-around performances, says that Pant wasn’t sure of the bounce and angles of the ball when they contemplated taking any DRS. And when the reviews went against the team, head coach Ravi Shastri was unhappy with the off-spinner.

“I think we need to change the lens with which people are looking at me for the DRS. Before this series against England, my DRS (usage) was extremely good. Because you take the DRS, you need to rely on the keeper’s resources.

“I ask valid questions in terms of saying ‘I know whether the ball struck in line or not’. But with respect to the line from the angle that I am bowling and the bounce, the keeper really needs to help,” Ravichandran Ashwin told India Today.

“And Rishabh is actually letting me down, on a lot of occasions. I took him aside and said we need to sit down and discuss because Ravi Bhai has a few complaints about me going for DRS,” he added.

If there is one improvement I am looking to make: Ravichandran Ashwin

Despite a brilliant series for the Tamil Nadu all-rounder, where he scored a hundred at his home ground in Chennai and picked 32 wickets at 14.72 apiece if there is one aspect where he would want to improve is his usage of DRS. He reckons that playing after a long time at home, due to the pandemic, also hindered their judgement.

India will face New Zealand in the World Test Championship final in June, and later they will take on Joe Root’s side once again, in England, for a 5-match Test series – hence India needs to get their DRS game right for such big encounters where every wicket, every decision will be crucial.

“So honestly, yeah, if there is one improvement I am looking to make, I will go for better DRS in the future series. I will hold myself in check and we have been playing on red-soil pitches after a long time. It plays a huge role.” the 34-year-old asserted.

Also Read: Players Like Rishabh Pant And Ishan Kishan Are About Hitting The Next Ball For 4 Or 6, They Are Not Worried About Getting Out: Sanjay Manjrekar