Dinesh Karthik Delivers Verdict On Ravichandran Ashwin's Performance In ODI Comeback Game vs Australia

The veteran India National Cricket Team wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik has shared his views on the performance of the senior off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin in his ODI comeback game against Australia on Friday, 22 September, at the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh.

Ravichandran Ashwin and Washington Sundar’s comeback to the ODI setup just before the World Cup was made possible after Axar Patel sustained an injury during the Asia Cup 2023. Sundar had replaced Axar in India’s playing XI for the Asia Cup final and he was also retained in the squad for the Australia ODIs for which Ashwin got his recall.

Meanwhile, Ashwin got the opportunity ahead of Sundar in the first ODI against Australia and he delivered a good performance. In his 10-over quota against the Australia National Cricket Team, he bagged the crucial wicket of Marnus Labuschagne and gave away 47 runs.

Ashwin was first handed the ball by the stand-in skipper KL Rahul in the final over of the powerplay when David Warner and Steve Smith were in the middle. The veteran off-spinner conceded 36 runs in his opening spell and went wicketless. However, Ashwin got a wicket in his second spell and also bowled very well, giving away just 11 runs.

It was a tale of two halves – Dinesh Karthik

Speaking on Cricbuzz, Dinesh Karthik said that Ashwin kept things tight in his first spell and got defensive when he was hit for the boundaries. While highlighting that Ashwin went for very few runs in his second spell, Karthik said that the veteran off-spinner has the ability to ‘eat up two new batters alive’ but he goes for runs when the batters are set.

“It was a tale of two halves. At the start, he bowled from the Harbhajan Singh end. He troubled Warner a little. Yes he did not create magical deliveries to get wicket, but he kept him tight, but once the batter got going Ashwin brought his defensive game into the fore and finished his spell with 6 overs for 36.

“What was beautiful about the second spell was when he bowled those four overs from Yuvraj Singh end, it conceded just 10 runs. Now that is his skill. If you give him new batters, or put him at the start of a spell, he will always be good. He will go for runs, when the batters are set because he is a finger spinner and they know how he is going to turn the ball. If you given him two new batters, he will eat them up alive,” he said on Cricbuzz.

Meanwhile, the KL Rahul-led India National Cricket Team won the first ODI of the three-match series by 5 wickets. Bowling first in the match, India bowled out the opposition for 276 with Mohammed Shami being the chief architect in the bowling department with the figures of 5/51. While chasing the target, Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, KL Rahul, and Suryakumar Yadav hit terrific half-centuries to help India win the game.