IPL 2022: "To Be Honest, I Enjoy Going Head-To-Head With Virat And Rohit": Ravichandran Ashwin

Ravichandran Ashwin has named Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma as his two favorite hitters to face in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

The prime off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin claimed that the two-star hitters despise getting out to their India colleagues, which adds to the excitement of the match.

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Ashwin described both as “great batsmen” on ESPNcricinfo’s “Polite Enquiries,” adding that he looks forward to playing against them in the IPL because he doesn’t get the chance to do so often. The bowler for the Rajasthan Royals (RR) said:

“To be honest, I enjoy going head-to-head with Virat and Rohit. I believe they are two good batters who have played with me in the dressing room, nor two batters with whom I’ve had numerous games on an international stage.”

“However, I get to play against them during the IPL format, which I enjoy. They don’t like it when we get out to the team’s bowlers, so I appreciate the challenge and look forward to it every year.”

In the IPL, he has faced both Kohli and Rohit 19 times. The former Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) captain has been dismissed only once while scoring 160 runs at an average of 160 and a strike rate of 128%. Meanwhile, despite being dismissed twice by the spinner, Rohit has 109 runs at 91.30 against the 35-year-old.

Ravichandran Ashwin on his record against left-handers: “I’m not sure about it.”

In international cricket, Ashwin boasted about his exceptional record against left-handers. He is the only bowler in Test history to have taken 200 wickets against southpaws. The veteran couldn’t come up with a clear explanation, so he said:

“I’m not sure about that. Even in the nets, I don’t bowl too many left-handed batsmen. I’m not bowling too many left-handed Indian batters because there aren’t many of them coming through. It may be psychological, something I’m used to, or even something I enjoy. I’m not sure how I feel about it.”

On Saturday (2 April), RR will face Mumbai Indians (MI), followed by RCB three days later.

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