New Delhi: Former spinner Ravichandran Ashwin regrets not lifting the Indian Premier League trophy with Rajasthan Royals as he felt at home during his three-year stint.
During a 16-year-old stint between 2009 and 2016, Ashwin played for five franchises, picking up 187 wickets in 221 matches and in retrospect felt he wasn’t comfortable while playing for Punjab Kings.
In two years leading PBKS, Ashwin claimed 25 wickets and 12 victories in 28 matches but was unable to drive them to title triumph.
“When Punjab picked me in 2018, I knew I was moving on… I spent two years there and honestly gave it everything,” Ashwin told JioStar.
“But I have a slight feeling that I couldn’t make that team my own. At an auction, you get the chance to build your team… the team couldn’t quite be built around me. I may not have achieved much as a Captain, but the learnings were immense.
Ashwin turned out for Rajasthan from three editions from 2022 to 2024 in 45 matches, claiming 35 wickets.
Speaking of his stint for the 2008 champions, the former off-spinner said: “I spent three years there, and that stint helped me make a comeback to the Indian team. The way RR utilised me was first-class, and I enjoyed my cricket there like nowhere else.
“My only small regret is that I couldn’t win a title with RR… That was one small regret.”
Dhoni best keeper
Ashwin deemed MS Dhoni as the best wicketkeeper, particularly against spinners.
Having shared a long association in the Indian team and at Chennai Super Kings, Ashwin recalled how Dhoni’s glovework and clarity of thought stood out beyond his celebrated leadership.
“His glovework has always amazed me. People talk a lot about his captaincy, and rightly so, the titles speak for themselves,” Ashwin said on JioStar’s ‘The Ravichandran Ashwin Experience’.
“But for me, two things stand out — one, how good a middle-order batter he was, someone who could take the game deep and finish it.
“And the second is his keeping against spinners. I haven’t seen anyone else like him.” Ashwin also highlighted Dhoni’s hands-off approach that empowered bowlers.
“He never set the field for me. I would set my own field, and he would just say, ‘Don’t double-guess. Don’t pre-empt. If you get hit, it’s fine. If someone takes a risk, let it be. Just bowl to your field.’ He trusted that.”
The veteran off-spinner fondly remembered dismissing Chris Gayle for a three-ball duck in the 2011 IPL final, crediting Dhoni for a sharp take behind the stumps.
“You can talk about the set-up and the dismissal, but how well MS took that catch. It wasn’t easy.”