Indian spin veteran Ravichandran Ashwin reflected on the pros of India’s T20I series against Australia, featuring Ruturaj Gaikwad, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rinku Singh. India has been dominant against AUS in the five-match T20 series, taking a lead of 3-1. These three stars have played a crucial role for the team, besides beginning their journey to cement their spot for the T20 World Cup 2024.
Ashwin heaps praise on India’s young guns
In a recent video on his YouTube channel, Ashwin lavished praise on India’s current vice-captain for the T20 series – Ruturaj Gaikwad. The young CSK star top-scored for India in the 3rd T20I, with a blistering 123-run knock despite which India ended up on the losing side. His fellow opener – Yashasvi Jaiswal – also managed to leave Ashwin awe-struck with his positive intent, something which the veteran referred to his ‘adi pozha’, a Malayalam phrase for lets say – go berserk.
“What is standing out is Ruturaj Gaikwad’s vice-captaincy and consistent performances. He played an outstanding 100 but we were trumped by the Maxwell madness. He played according to his whims and fancies“, Ashwin said.
Maturity, calmness, ability to handle the pressure in the death overs – yes, these are the attributes that Ashwin associated with none other than Rinku Singh. The young batter has already provided glimpses of how he could potentially be India’s next finisher in the T20 format with his performances in the IND vs AUS series and in the IPL as well.
Ravi Bishnoi, Mukesh Kumar also found special mentions in Ashwin’s video as the latter heaped praises on their performances.
Ashwin also offered an insight into Australia’s preparations for the T20 World Cup 2024 and elaborated on why Chris Green featured for the side. Noting that Green was one of the few off-spinners who played the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) regularly, the spinner said that the board wanted to test the player’s abilities ahead of the marquee tournament set to be hosted by West Indies and the USA.
IND vs AUS 5th T20I
After sealing the 5-match IND vs AUS series, the two sides will face off at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on December 3. India will look to test themselves ahead of their 3-match series against South Africa in a week. On the other hand, Australia will aim to get a consolation win and end the series on a high in Bengaluru.