Ravichandran Ashwin may have retired from international cricket, but he is one of the best observers and analyzers around. In his latest video release, Ashwin hinted that not everything is rosy even after India’s crushing 4-1 victory in the T20I series against England. He pointed out Suryakumar Yadav and Sanju Samson’s batting weakness, where they are getting out playing almost the same shots and getting it on almost the same deliveries. Ashwin hilariously went on to cite an example from a Rajinikanth film to elaborate on his argument.
“There is a Tamil film called Thillu Millu, where Rajinikanth plays two different people, one with a moustache and one without a moustache. That is how it feels watching Sanju Samson and Suryakumar Yadav,” Ashwin said, speaking on his YouTube channel ‘Ash ki Baat’.
Ashwin went on to tear down the shot selection and dismissals of Samson and Suryakumar using this example.
“Same ball, same field, same shot, same mistake, same dismissal. I can understand it happening in one or two games, but this is surprising,” Ashwin said.
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“When you know a tactic is being used against you, it becomes your responsibility to find a new answer. It is very surprising from both players,” Ashwin said.
Samson has fallen victim to short deliveries all through the series while Suryakumar’s greatest strength has been used against him as he has been dismissed hitting his famous flick scoop shot over and over again.
“Surya is a very experienced guy. He was part of the change of guard for Indian cricket in batting. But I think it’s high time he changes his approach a little,” Ashwin said.
The mind, Ashwin said, “will play tricks” for Samson. “A lot of questions running through your head make it difficult.”
Samson experimented with a plastic ball and took an altogether different stance in an effort to combat his short-ball inadequacies. But, after starting strongly a couple of times, he couldn’t convert those into big scores.
Yadav scored only 28 runs in five innings during the course of the T20I series, with two ducks.
