One of the most iconic moments of Ravichandran Ashwin‘s career came with the bat in hand, during the T20 World Cup 2022 game between India and Pakistan. Ashwin’s iconic leave off Mohammad Nawaz – when India needed two runs off one ball – that saw it go for a wide, remains one of Indian cricket’s most memorable moments in recent history. Reminiscing about the game between India and Pakistan, Ashwin said that the moment hadn’t sunk in until he saw the way head coach Rahul Dravid reacted.
“I hadn’t realised what I had done. I came back into the dressing room, and I haven’t seen Rahul Dravid exult like that – I mean, the second time I saw him exult was after the T20 World Cup, which we won recently. Until this moment, I hadn’t seen him exult. He came to me and said, That’s why we had you in the squad! That’s the way you deal with this,” Ashwin said, speaking on the Sky Sports Cricket podcast alongside former England captains Michael Atherton and Nasser Hussain.
Ashwin also narrated Virat Kohli‘s immediate reaction to Ashwin’s leave.
“I didn’t quite honestly realise the magnitude of what that moment meant. I just saw the ball, and just let it go. Then it hit Rizwan and came back. I think Virat was almost celebrating. He just used his hand to say who the hell leaves a ball like that,” Ashwin added.
With India needing 160 to win, Virat Kohli almost single-handedly took India to victory with a phenomenal knock of 82 off 53 balls. However, just when it seemed like Kohli’s efforts would go in vain, Ashwin’s moment of genius and quick-thinking helped India win the contest.
The moment was the perfect example of Ashwin’s ability to think on his feet under pressure situations, a skill that has served Team India to no end throughout his career.
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