In the Indian Premier League 2022 (IPL 2022), spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is playing for Rajasthan Royals (RR). He bowled brilliantly in the first match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), but did not get a wicket. He conceded just 21 runs in four overs. The team’s next match is against Mumbai Indians (MI). Earlier, the veteran off-spinner has said that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are two such players of Team India, against whom he likes to play. He has also given the reason behind this.
On a show on ESPNcricinfo, Ashwin said, “To be honest, I love face-to-face with Virat and Rohit. I think they are two quality batsmen who have played with me and been in the dressing room. I don’t play against him at the international level, but it happens in the IPL, so I love to face him.
Ashwin further said, “They (Rohit and Kohli) do not like being dismissed by any bowler in the team. That’s why I like to compete with them. I look forward to it every year.” Let us tell you that Rajasthan Royals won their first match of IPL 2022 by 61 runs against Sunrisers Hyderabad. In the match against Sunrisers, Yuzvendra Chahal took three wickets while famous Krishna took two wickets.
The franchise will next face Rohit Sharma-led Mumbai Indians on Saturday. After this the match between Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore will be played on April 5. In 168 IPL matches played so far, Ashwin has taken 145 wickets at an average of 27.95. His best bowling performance in the tournament is 4-34.
The off-spinner has also led Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) in the IPL. Before being bought by Rajasthan Royals, Ashwin was playing for Delhi Capitals but he was not retained by the Rishabh Pant-led franchise and the spinner was bought by Rajasthan in this year’s mega auction.