Internet Desk: The no ball he bowled against Lendl Simmons in the World T20 semis at Wankhede still continues to haunt Ravichandran Ashwin. It did prove to be a costly error as the West Indian opener riding on his luck took the match away from India, helping his team to reach the final of World T20.
The ace Indian off spinner will be back at the Wankhede with his new team Rising Pune Supergiants as they play the inaugural match of IPL 9 against defending champions Mumbai Indians.
Ashwin reckon he should not be made a villain for bowling one of the two no-balls which proved to be a crucial factor in India’s World Twenty20 semifinal loss to the West Indies.
“The day I went back home my dog had heat stroke. He had fits. It just showed me what is more important and what is very very important in life. I did not turn up a piece of paper for next three days. I haven’t read about what people had said,” Ashwin said ahead of his new franchise Rising Pune Supergiants’ opening IPL game against Mumbai Indians on Saturday
“There have been good enough journalists and knowledgeable people who said I had not bowled a no-ball for ages and to have bowled one no ball, I don’t become a villain.If that’s the perception I don’t know how to counter that,” the bowler said at a media conference.
Ashwin was widely criticised in the media for bowling a no-ball in the semi final. Simmons was caught at short third man by Bumrah , only for the batsman to escape on 15 and later went on to play a match-winning innings that knocked India out of the World T20 nine days ago.
Ashwin went for 20 runs in his first couple of overs and was not called back to bowl again in the match. On being asked if it was the dew that made Dhoni not to bowl him at the death , Ashwin
replied, “I don’t know what the captain said.”