“We would have blamed the bowlers” - R Ashwin’s massive claim on Shreyas Iyer sacrificing century in GT vs PBKS IPL 2025 match
Former India cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin believes the perception surrounding individual milestones and bowlers needs to be refreshed in modern-day cricket. He cited Punjab Kings (PBKS) captain Shreyas Iyer's recent selfless act in remaining stranded on 97 against the Gujarat Titans (GT) as an example of how every ball matters.
Iyer was in full flow, racking off to 97 runs with 10 deliveries to spare in the first innings at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Tuesday, March 25. A maiden IPL century for the right-handed batter was almost inevitable, but Shashank Singh went on to play out the remainder of the innings on his captain's orders.
The all-rounder's cameo of 44 runs off 16 deliveries proved to be invaluable, as PBKS won the match by just 11 runs after scoring 243 in the first innings.
Ashwin narrated a potential situation where Iyer would have gotten his hundred but at the cost of some runs off the final score, easing some pressure off GT during the run chase. He opined that the bowlers would have been blamed in such a scenario rather than considering the case of batters not scoring above par.
"If Iyer scored his hundred and PBKS ended with 233, and GT chased it down with a ball to spare, we would have blamed the bowlers for not defending the target. It is not like that, 230 is not the new 180. It is a difference of 50 runs, imagine that," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel 'Ash ki Baat.'
"To be very honest, that (Iyer sacrificing his 100) could well have been the difference. Imagine what would have happened if he got the strike and went for the hundred. Whatever extra runs PBKS got, it was because of Shashank's cameo," he added.
Shashank Singh mentioned during an interaction with the broadcasters that Iyer told him to focus on scoring as many runs as possible in the closing stages rather than his hundred. The skipper's selfless call turned out to be game-changing as the extra cushion of runs benefited PBKS in the end.
"When did you last see that?" - R Ashwin on Rashid Khan being clobbered in the death during GT vs PBKS IPL 2025 match
In the same video, Ashwin remarked that the balance between bat and ball has gone out of hand. Considering the current trend of run scoring, he feels the average economy rate of bowlers will inevitably go up, changing the standards of what is considered a good spell completely.
He brought up Shashank Singh's onslaught against Rashid Khan in the 18th over of the first innings. The leg-spinner conceded three boundaries, including two sixes, to end with dismal figures of 1-48 off his four overs.
"A time will come where if a bowler conceded 40 off four overs, he will be applauded for it. I think it is not far, we are already there. Rashid Khan was hit for 20 runs in the 18th over, when did you last see that? He has not become a bad bowler overnight," Ashwin said.
Sai Kishore was the sole bowler from GT to end up with an economy of under 10. The left-arm spinner was the pick of the bowlers, finishing with figures of 3-30.