IPL 2021: "R Ashwin has not looked that convincing" - Gautam Gambhir
Former India opener Gautam Gambhir feels R Ashwin has been lackluster in the second leg of the 2021 IPL. In Delhi Capitals' (DC) last two games, the off-spinner has only bowled three overs, which has led to the question of whether the franchise are underutilizing him.
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Ashwin has only been able to pick up five wickets across 12 matches in IPL 2021. He missed a few matches in the latter stages of the first leg in India to return back home to his family, who were in the midst of a COVID-19 crisis.
Ashwin has been struggling for rhythm in the UAE leg. The pressure is now on him to perform after earning a recall into the Indian T20 squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup.
Gambhir noted that Ashwin has the perfect opportunity to come back into form on a slow Sharjah surface with plenty of left-handers for him to trouble. While speaking to ESPNCricinfo, Gambhir said:
"Delhi Capitals have not underutilized Ashwin because he has not looked that convincing. So hopefully he will do the job because on a wicket like Sharjah against left handers, DC will back him."
Manjrekar felt that Ashwin complicated things for himself with multiple variations and he would rather have a classic off-spinner instead. He said:
"We always say, the man of his stature, you cannot leave him out of an IPL team or T20 cricket, he's just a different bowler. When he plays IPL or T20 cricket, he just becomes this finger spinner with variations and I'd much rather have a conventional off spinner."
Ashwin will have competition on his hands with KKR arguably being the tournament's best spin attack in Qualifier 2 of the 2021 IPL.
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Dhawan will have to anchor the innings if Smith is not there: Gambhir
Shikhar Dhawan's approach in T20 cricket has been well documented over the years. With Prithvi Shaw usually blazing off at the other hand, Dhawan has had time to settle down and his 2021 IPL strike rate of 127.54 is his lowest since the 2016 edition.
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Gambhir noted that Dhawan will have to be aggressive if the Delhi Capitals choose not to include Steve Smith in the playing XI. Gambhir added:
"If they play Smith, Dhawan can be aggressive at the top. If Smith does not play then he will have to anchor the innings." Gambhir opined
In this regard, Manjrekar reasoned:
"I don't think Dhawan can play the anchor role now because he has come too far away and too far now in this particular route as something that Ricky Ponting wanted. That's all the more reason for DC to play Steve Smith. You don't want to put any doubt in Dhawan or Shaw's mind to play differently."
Dhawan has had to bear the brunt of the slow surfaces in the UAE with none of his innings crossing the 120 strike-rate mark