Ravichandran Ashwin (L) and Shimron Hetmyer. (Credits: Twitter)
Rajasthan Royals cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin has shared hilarious anecdotes from the dying moments of the thrilling game against the Delhi Capitals on Friday. The off-spinner said they considered cutting it down to a baby over after the first three balls of the final over went for three sixes.
Rovman Powell threatened to do the impossible when the Capitals required 36 to win off the final over, chasing a mammoth 223. The West Indian smacked three sixes off the first three deliveries bowled by Obed McCoy. However, the Royals ultimately escaped with a 15-run win.
In a video uploaded to Twitter, Ashwin revealed the hilarious conversations that happened before and during the final over. The 35-year-old stated that he and Devdutt Padikkal experienced nervous moments with every six hit by Powell. The veteran said:
“36 runs were required off the last over and you might be thinking about what happened on the ground. I’ll tell you what happened. After Prasidh Krishna bowled a maiden wicket over, I stood beside Sanju Samson at short-third man and Devdutt Padikkal came. I told Padikkal, ‘One short ball would finish things off and we can take a breather. The first ball of the over went for a six. Padikkal came from point and said, ‘He can’t hit 36 runs, right?'”I said, ‘No way he can because six sixes in an over is very rare.’ The next ball also went for a six. Padikkal again came and said, ‘He can’t hit six sixes, right?’ I said, ‘I think he can’t’. While I prayed for a ball to be hit in the air, the third ball went for a six as well. He then came running and said, ‘Should we make it a baby over because I fear he’s gonna hit them.”
The eventful final over saw controversy unfold as the umpires didn’t rule the third delivery of the over as a waist-high no-ball. After on-field batters Powell and Kuldeep Yadav questioned the umpires, Rishabh Pant and the rest of the Capitals’ dugout also disagreed with the call. Pant signaled his players to walk off and coach Pravin Amre entered the ground to argue with the match officials.
Ravichandran Ashwin scalped 2 crucial wickets in Rajasthan’s victory
While Jos Buttler took the Player of the Match award for his century, it’s worth noting Ashwin’s contribution to the win. The Test specialist bagged figures of 4-0-32-2, dismissing Sarfaraz Khan and Prithvi Shaw. Prasidh Krishna was the standout bowler with figures of 4-1-22-3.
