"Rishabh Pant is actually letting me down" - Ravichandran Ashwin promises improvement in DRS calls
Unlike his brilliant return with the ball, Ravichandran Ashwin was wayward in his DRS calls during the India-England Test series. The combination of him and Virat Kohli got multiple LBW referrals wrong in the four Tests, even as the local umpires were spot on with their decisions.
In a conversation with India Today, Ravichandran Ashwin admitted that he is looking to improve in the future. However, the off-spinner also remarked that the poor calls weren't his fault completely, suggesting wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant "let him down" by not helping in guessing the angles and bounce right.
“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 inline or not’. But with respect to the line from the angle that I am bowling and the bounce, the keeper really needs to help. 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."
The 34-year-old added in this regard:
"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.”
Ravichandran Ashwin has always been a fervent LBW appealer. On many occasions in the Test series, cameras caught him convincing Virat Kohli to take reviews whenever the umpire made an unfavorable decision. However, almost all of them were turned down by the 3rd umpire.
Ravichandran Ashwin and Virat Kohli's decision-making was so poor that after one DRS gaffe in the pink-ball Test, some fans even termed them the "worst DRS partnership" in the history of the game.
Ravichandran Ashwin was the highest wicket-taker in the India-England Test series
Nevertheless, Ravichandran Ashwin was India's top performer in the tournament. He returned 32 wickets from eight innings at a scarcely believable average of 14.72, including three five-wicket hauls.
The all-rounder also ratcheted up his batting record by scoring a match-winning hundred in the 2nd Test in Chennai. He was deservedly named the Man of the Series for India's emphatic 3-1 victory.