"I think he has the dream to win an IPL trophy as a captain" - Baba Indrajith hails Ravichandran Ashwin's leadership in triumphant TNPL 2024 season
Tamil Nadu batter Baba Indrajith hailed Ravichandran Ashwin for his incredible leadership in the Dindigul Dragons' (DD) title run in the recently concluded Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) season. The duo played a massive role in helping the side clinch their maiden TNPL title.
The ever-reliable Indrajith finished as the tournament's third-leading run-scorer with 286 runs at an average of 40.85 and a strike rate of 133.02 in 10 outings. Meanwhile, Ashwin surprisingly finished fifth on the run-scoring charts with 252 runs at an average of 36 and a strike rate of almost 152.
The veteran off-spinner also led the side manfully to their first title despite DD barely qualifying for the playoffs with a fourth-place finish on the points table.
In an interview with Cricket.com, Indrajith hailed Ashwin's leadership and mentioned his dream of captaining a title-winning team in the IPL.
"Of course, everyone will see him as a captain, he has a very good cricketing brain. He’s always thinking of getting one up over the batter or the bowler. He has all the leadership qualities, I think he has the dream to win an IPL trophy as a captain, so why not," said Indrajith.
With DD needing to win three consecutive playoff games to win the title, Ashwin scored a hat trick of half-centuries to help them achieve ultimate glory.
The 37-year-old has captained the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in two IPL seasons in 2018 and 2019 but the side barely missed the playoffs on both occasions.
"I don’t think even a head coach would have done as much as him" - Baba Indrajith
Baba Indrajith further praised Ravichandran Ashwin's involvement with every member of the DD squad during the TNPL 2024 season.
Apart from his impressive run with the bat, Ashwin was his usual miserly self with the ball, picking up nine wickets at an average of 27.55 and an economy of under seven.
"His involvement was not just in his skills but other players' skills as well, not just on-field but off-field as well. In the last 30-35 days, including the camp [10 days], he was involved throughout. Right from the first person to the 20th person, he was involved with all, constantly pushing them to increase their fitness and strength. I don’t think even a head coach would have done as much as him," said Indrajith.
Ashwin will be back in action when India plays next in the two-Test series at home against Bangladesh, starting September 19.