The off-spinner will face the two senior batsmen in successive games in Rajasthan Royals’ next two Indian Premier League fixtures.
Veteran Ravichandran Ashwin hailed MI’s Rohit Sharma and RCB’s Virat Kohli, calling them ‘great batsmen’, but also insisted that he enjoys facing both of them in the IPL. Ashwin also revealed an interesting bit of information, when he disclosed that Kohli and Sharma detest getting out to their colleagues from the Indian side, due to their competitive nature, as they expect to do well against the bowlers of their own side.
Ashwin, however, relishes the contest, saying that he takes it as a challenge to do well against the duo, as there aren’t many occasions on which he gets a chance to go up against them.
“To be honest, I enjoy going head-to-head with Virat and Rohit. I believe they are two good batters who have played with me in the dressing room, nor two batters with whom I’ve had numerous games on an international stage.
However, I get to play against them during the IPL format, which I enjoy. They don’t like it when we get out to the team’s bowlers, so I appreciate the challenge and look forward to it every year.”
he said.
However, Ashwin has not had much success against Rohit or Kohli for that matter. He has faced the duo in a total of 19 IPL games, dismissing Virat only once while conceding 160 runs. He has had Rohit’s number twice, having conceded 109 runs.
Ashwin’s excellent record against left-handed batsmen is well known, but the spinner himself admitted that he does not plan specifically for the southpaws, and suggested that he has the psychological advantage, which he has been able to capitalise on.
“I’m not sure about that. Even in the nets, I don’t bowl too many left-handed batsmen. I’m not bowling too many left-handed Indian batters because there aren’t many of them coming through. It may be psychological, something I’m used to, or even something I enjoy. I’m not sure how I feel about it.”
he said.
Ashwin will face Rohit and Kohli in successive games as the Rajasthan Royals play against MI on April 3, followed by RCB on April 5.
