Ravichandran Ashwin has defended Shardul Thakur, who admitted 25 runs in the 40th over against New Zealand in the primary ODI in Auckland on Thursday (November 25).
The great spinner said that the fast bowler only tried to execute his plan, which was a good thing to do within the over. Talking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin said:
“The 40th over bowled by Shardul Thakur was the talking point on various platforms. He gave away 25 runs. I don’t think Shardul Thakur made any mistake.”
He continued:
“Every ball in that over to Tom Latham was bowled short. Last over of the field restrictions. On another day, things would have been different. He tried to execute his plan, and his plan was right.”
Ashwin thinks taking wickets is no alternative to stop the opposition from securing runs in the last 10 overs, which is really important in the 50-over format heading into the 2023 World Cup.
He added that India had huge runs to defend in the last 11 overs, but they couldn’t take the wickets, ensuing in a 7-wicket loss.
“If you look at the match reports at the end of the game, it says New Zealand required around 90 runs in the last 11 overs. New Zealand were the firm favorite at that stage.
He added:
“In modern-day cricket, 90 runs in the last 11 overs will be very, very difficult to stop with seven wickets in hand. So, taking wickets will be the only way to stop.”
For the untrained, Tom Latham (145*) and Kane Williamson (94*) aced in an unbeaten 221-run partnership for the 4th wicket after the hosts were curtailed to 88-3 while chasing 307.
“Simpler said than done” – Ravichandran Ashwin on ‘Stick to the process
Ashwin, at the same time, said that former India skipper MS Dhoni’s idea of adhesion to the process is a lot simple to say than executing it.
He reckons the Indian performers face a lot of pressure, as they’re anticipated to play consistently on the biggest stage.
Mahi said –
the process is more important than the result, the result is just a by-product of the process.
@msdhoni @ChennaiIPL #mahi #msdhoni #CSKvDC pic.twitter.com/o5pfUuftF8— Sai Patil (@_sai_patil) October 10, 2021
He said:
“‘MS Dhoni always says, ‘We should always stick to the process, and never worry about the results.’ It is a very easily said line. One can easily say to follow the process instead of worrying about results.”
The experienced took the example of India’s loss against New Zealand in the opening match. He stated that the Men in Blue ticked several boxes by securing 96 runs in the last 10 overs despite Shardul Thakur’s 25-run 40th over, but that didn’t result in a win.
“With the amount of pressure an Indian cricketer goes through and the expectation from an India fan, it is easier said than done talking about the process. We have just lost an ODI, and there will be plenty of analysis done about this one loss.”
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