Ravichandran Ashwin was not only India’s go-to bowler during his remarkable international career, but also the main strike bowler for the franchises he has played for in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Chennai Super Kings (CSK) was the first IPL side that Ashwin represented and was an integral part of the setup in their most successful years. Ashwin's other stints were with the Rising Pune Supergiant (now defunct), Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings), Delhi Capitals and Rajasthan Royals.
Ashwin is now back in the CSK camp for this IPL season, rejoining forces with the legendary MS Dhoni. The duo had previously combined to bring an end to Nitish Rana's rampage in Guwahati and on Tuesday something similar was witnessed in Chandigarh, where CSK engaged in a thriller against Punjab.
Punjab Kings were 54/3 after 5 overs after winning the toss and opting to bat when CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad introduced Ashwin into the attack. However, Ashwin was clobbered for 21 runs in his first over by a combined effort of PBKS opener Priyansh Arya and the new man in Nehal Wadhera.
Arya started the over with a four, then took 2 runs off the next ball. He then gave the strike to Wadhera, who then smashed the spinner for a six in the first ball he faced. Wadhera once again passed the strike to Arya, who slammed a maximum in the final delivery to end the powerplay on an emphatic note.
PBKS were 75/3 after six overs as CSK tried to break the momentum by taking the strategic timeout. After the brief interval when action resumed, commentators discussed how Dhoni walked straight to Ashwin and probably discussed field settings with the seasoned spinner.
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Despite being ripped apart in the first over, CSK stuck with their plan to operate Ashwin from the other end and the spinner responded with twin strikes in his second over. Ashwin first had Wadhera caught behind by Dhoni and four balls later he took a brilliant catch off his own bowling to dismiss Glenn Maxwell for 1. This was the seventh instance in 16 innings that the Aussie was dismissed by Ashwin, who also became the highest wicket-taker in IPL matches between CSK and PBKS.
Ashwin otherwise proved to be a bit expensive as he conceded 48 runs from his four overs at an economy of 12.00.
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