Who said what - top 5 expert reactions to Ashwani Kumar's superb debut spell in MI vs KKR IPL 2025 clash ft. Virender Sehwag

Mumbai Indians' (MI) left-arm pacer Ashwani Kumar is all the rage after returning with figures of 3-0-24-4 in his team's eight-wicket victory over the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). It took place in the 12th match of the ongoing Indian Premier League at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Monday, March 31.

This was MI's first win of the season, and Kumar's efforts played a massive role in it. As a result of his excellent spell, he also earned the Player of the Match award, after having become the first Indian player to pick up a four-wicket haul on IPL debut.

Kumar saw the back of Ajinkya Rahane (off his first ball), Rinku Singh, Manish Pandey, and Andre Russell - all big names in T20 cricket - but did not get the opportunity to bowl his fourth over. Had he done so, there was the possibility of him picking up a five-wicket haul on debut - but KKR got all out in just 16.2 overs.

In this listicle, we take a look at the top five expert reactions to Ashwani Kumar's performance.

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#5 Lisa Sthalekar

Former Australia Women's captain Lisa Sthalekar, a veritable legend of the sport, waxed lyrical about Kumar's superb spell on Cricbuzz. Sthalekar highlighted the fact that Kumar did not get overawed by the situation and, in fact, revelled in it.

Ashwani Kumar was composed enough not to get overawed even by the physical presence of Andre Russell and proved to be a bowling coach's dream, Sthalekar felt.

"He was not even intimidated by the physical presence of Andre Russell, despite knowing what the latter can do. So he stands on the top of his mark, sees Russell at the other end, runs in, and hits the top of the stumps. A bowling coach's dream - he is not overawed by the experience, he revelled in it," said Sthalekar.

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#4 Aakash Chopra

Former India opener Aakash Chopra, who made headwaves with his stellar defensive skills in India's tour of Australia in 2003-04, appreciated Kumar on the social media platform X.

As an aside, he mentioned that the youngster should have been given his fourth over as he could have taken a five-wicket haul and made his debut in the IPL sweeter.

"Ashwani Kumar : 3 overs. 24 runs. 4 wickets. Best ever figures by an Indian uncapped player on his IPL debut. Should have bowled the fourth over too…could’ve ended with a 5-wicket haul," Aakash Chopra wrote.

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#3 Michael Vaughan

Former England captain Michael Vaughan highlighted Ashwani Kumar's smooth action on Cricbuzz and also lauded the bit of pace and movement the youngster generates.

Although Ajinkya Rahane made the mistake of playing a wide delivery, Kumar bowled tight lengths after that. Vaughan felt that the left-arm seamer put a lid on the scoring for the visiting side's batters.

"Well, he has got a lovely action. He has got a bit of pace and a bit of movement. You can only imagine how many years he has dreamed of doing this. And to be thrown into such a historic venue and perform in this manner is extraordinary. Perhaps Ajinkya Rahane made an error but after that, Ashwani bowled really well after that," said Vaughan.

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#2 Manoj Tiwary

Former Bengal and India batter Manoj Tiwary applauded Ashwani Kumar's confidence on Cricbuzz. Tiwary, who has played for KKR in the past, said that Kumar did not seem to be nervous at all, and the fact that he picked up a wicket off his very first delivery gave a big boost to his confidence.

The former Bengal skipper also pointed towards Kumar's smooth-flowing bowling action.

"The first thing that I noticed in him was that he had a lot of confidence. He did not seem nervous at all. When you get a wicket off the first ball you bowl, your confidence skyrockets. He put in a lot of effort after that and bore the rewards for it. I like his action a lot - his alignment towards the wicket is really nice. This is also one of the reasons why he has done so well," said Tiwary.

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#1 Virender Sehwag

Ex-India opener Virender Sehwag, known for his swashbuckling ways, appreciated Ashwani Kumar on Cricbuzz but was perhaps the only expert to add a touch of caution to his note of congratulations.

Sehwag said that Kumar needs to keep improving his game, especially in the IPL, as this is just the start of his journey and he has a long way to go to forge a career in T20 cricket.

"A bowler gets a lot more opportunities in a game than a batter but Ashwani bowled really well. Perhaps luck also played a role as opposition batters thought that he was a newbie and one who could be taken apart. Instead, they got out and Ashwani ended up with four wickets to his name. I would say that he needs to keep working on his game, especially in the IPL and try to improve more," said Sehwag.