T20 World Cup: "Here's a man who should have been given a chance to captain India"- Sunil Gavaskar lauds Ravichandran Ashwin

Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar has been impressed with Ravichandran Ashwin after his final over heroics with the bat against Pakistan in Melbourne last Sunday. He thinks Ashwin is an excellent reader of the game, and should have led India in white-ball cricket.

The veteran said that the off-spinner should have captained the Men in Blue during the ODIs in West Indies, Zimbabwe and the recently concluded 50-over series against South Africa at home earlier this year.

Speaking to India Today, Gavaskar said:

“So, these are things that tell you that there is a man who thinks deeply about the game and here’s a man who should have been given a chance to captain India. So, when some of the seniors were not available and when we had these One Day matches that took place, they could have given him the honor of captaining India, but that didn’t happen."

He continued:

"I don’t know why? But he is somebody who is an absolute legend as far as I’m concerned because of what he’s done for Indian cricket.”

The 36-year-old has never led India in international cricket, but captained Kings XI Punjab (now PBKS) in 28 IPL matches. He secured victory in 12 of them as skipper during his stint with the franchise in the 2018 and 2019 seasons.

Ashwin, who made his international debut in 2010, is one of the leading wicket-takers for India. He has so far scalped 659 wickets across formats in international cricket.

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“It really wasn’t a surprise” – Sunil Gavaskar on Ravichandran Ashwin leaving a wide ball

Gavaskar reckoned he wasn’t surprised when the experienced all-rounder forced Mohammad Nawaz to bowl wide when India required two runs off one ball. The right-handed batter moved inside the line of the ball when he saw it pitched towards the leg stump.

“Yes, I think keeping cool in such a situation does require tremendous temperament and he’s shown it. He is the kind of person who likes to be a scrap and I mean it in a positive way. He likes to be there because that brings out the best in him as a cricketer; therefore, it really wasn’t a surprise.”

He also recalled Ashwin retiring during an IPL 2022 match between the Rajasthan Royals and Lucknow Super Giants when he was unable to accelerate the run-rate.

“Remember, in the IPL, he retired because this is something that not many will consider. They might have discussed it earlier, but then for him to say, " Look, I’m retiring because somebody who can tonk the ball better than me can come into bat."

Ashwin is likely to be seen in action against the Netherlands in Sydney on Thursday (October 27).