5 times MS Dhoni lavished praise on Ravichandran Ashwin
Just like the man who trusted him with the ball in every situation of the game, Ravichandran Ashwin just like his skipper MS Dhoni announced his retirement in the midst of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Dhoni also announced his Test retirement during the middle of the 2014-15 BGT series. The ace off-spinner announced his retirement from international cricket with immediate effect following the conclusion of the third Test in Brisbane.
His association with MS Dhoni dates back to the Chennai Super Kings days when Ashwin had announced his arrival at the world stage. It was Dhoni who showed immense trust in the offie and Ashwin is forever indebted for his contribution in shaping a career which the Tamil Nadu spinner should be very proud of.
After playing for CSK till 2015, Ashwin wasn’t retained by the franchise ahead of the 2018 season when they again became eligible to play after a two-year ban. After being away from the franchise for nine years, the off-spinner will be seen back in yellow colours in the upcoming edition of the IPL.
The everlasting nostalgia of Ashwin and Dhoni sharing their inputs on the ground is bound to woo the fans. Over the years, Dhoni has praised Ashwin during his illustrious career. With that, let us have a look at five occasions when the former Indian skipper lavished praise on Ashwin:
# 5. When Dhoni called Ashwin an asset for India
After a sensational year with the ball for Ashwin in 2015, the then-Indian skipper MS Dhoni heaped high praise on the off-spinner after he finished as the leading wicket-taker for India with 62 scalps to his name in Tests in that year. He also topped the charts in the Test rankings for bowlers.
“Ashwin is a very different bowler. He thinks always while he is bowling. He is very positive on the field. I have always told him to focus on his bowling and not anything else. He has been an asset for Indian team for long.
I rely on him always be it in the start or at the death overs. Ashwin makes my work easy when fast bowlers are not performing well," Dhoni said during a press conference before leaving for Australia for a tour.
# 4. When Dhoni credited Ashwin for succeeding even in batting-friendly conditions
Ever since his association with CSK, MS Dhoni's affinity for Ravichandran Ashwin was something everyone was aware of. Dhoni loved handing the ball to the off-spinner whenever the chips were down, and he seldom disappointed.
In 2012, after completing a 2-0 win over New Zealand in a Test series, Dhoni credited Ashwin and Pragyan Ojha for jelping the team win the match despite conditions not favouring the spinners.
“He is bowling brilliantly. If you see both Tests, there were some periods were the spinners got some assistance from the pitch. Overall, the wickets were quite good to bat on and we had to bowl consistently in one area that I felt at sometimes made it difficult for Ashwin, because he is someone who loves to take wickets.
He is someone who has got variations. The good thing is that both the spinners complement each other. When one is taking wickets, the other one keeps it tight so that the batsmen are not taking too many runs off them. They are hunting well together” Dhoni said.
# 3. When Dhoni credited him for being a thinking cricketer
Over the years, Ravichandran Ashwin’s performance has seen a fair dip, especially in overseas conditions. While in the subcontinental conditions and West Indies, Ashwin has come out with flying colours, he hasn't managed to have the same impact in SENA countries as far as wicket-taking is concerned.
There was a time in 2014 and 2015 when Ashwin was criticised for experimenting too much in the red ball format, which many felt led to his decline. He addressed the issue and came back firing in every series he played after that. Dhoni, during an interview back then, addressed the issue and credited Ashwin for always trying to think about the game.
“Ashwin is a thinking cricketer. His performance went down a bit and he was criticised for doing too many things but I am glad he has come back well and he is an asset. I have used him in all slots- from first to ten overs or in death. Good for me he makes my job slightly easier when my fast bowlers did not do well,” Ashwin said.
# 2. When Dhoni praised Ashwin for a superb spell in the 2015 ODI World Cup
MS Dhoni generally shows faith and confidence in a player on the field. He encourages players in post-match interviews and press conferences, but he never goes over the drawing board in praising a particular player. Despite showing immense faith in Ashwin over the years, there have been only a few occasions when Dhoni has praised the offie in public.
After a brilliant spell against UAE in the 2015 World Cup, Dhoni was all praises for Ashwin, who he felt had adapted to the conditions perfectly and changed his lengths depending on the batters. He finished with figures of 4/25 as India won the game comfortably.
"I think Ash bowled really well. It's important to change your bowling to some extent according to wicket. You have to find the right length and right trajectory to bowl, and I felt Ash did that really well," Dhoni said at the post-match conference.
"He (Ashwin) did use his faster one also, and he was quite successful to get a bit of spin on it, and that was the reason he got a couple of wickets out of those particular deliveries. But, I felt his line and length was superb and the pace at which he bowled," he added.
# 1. “He is someone I always love to have”- MS Dhoni
Another incident when Dhoni heaped praise for the right arm offie was during the 2015 World Cup when the tweaker bowled a superb spell against Ireland. More than his spell, the way Dhoni displayed confidence in his abilities was a sight to understand the fact that how much Dhoni relied on Ashwin during his tenure as a captain.
“The spinners have really bowled well. As far as Ashwin is concerned, obviously he’s someone that I always love to have, the reason being I always pushed him to bowl in the powerplays and even have used him whenever I'm in difficult situations.
"So he is really confident about his bowling. He understands his bowling well. I believe he [Ashwin] has learnt a lot in the last few foreign tours. The good thing with him is that he keeps improving himself.
Every time he’s part of the series, he sees the challenges and accordingly he improves. So it’s obviously good to have him, and it’s good to see him bowl really well,” Dhoni said during a post-match press conference.