T20 World Cup 2024

‘It felt like it took ages for me to get to the pitch’ – Ravichandran Ashwin gives the inside story of the Indo- Pak clash-

Virat Kohli anchored one of the greatest chases in India-Pakistan history by scoring a scintillating 82 not out. But there was a lot of praise for Ravichandran Ashwin when he came into the crease with India requiring two runs to win from one ball.

When Mohammad Nawaz fired a ball down the leg side, Ashwin calmly sidestepped the ball and allowed it to go for a wide. Then he nonchalantly lifted Nawaz over mid-off for a single to complete the run chase and give India one of the greatest wins over Pakistan in T20I cricket.

“The moment I saw the ball going down the leg side, I decided not to have any business playing it and decided to leave it alone and got one run for the wide. As soon as I got that run, I was so relaxed,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.

The 36-year-old said that he cursed Dinesh Karthik for getting out in a crunch situation, leaving him to get two runs off the last ball.

“As I walked in to bat, I cursed Dinesh Karthik for a second and then later thought, ‘No no, we still have time, let us do what we were here for. It seemed like I was walking for ages to get to the pitch,” Ashwin said.

I heaved a huge sigh of relief after getting that one run- Ravichandran Ashwin

Karthik, who played the role of India’s finisher, got out trying to play a slog sweep when India needed two runs from two balls. Dinesh Karthik later thanked Ashwin for saving his life. When it happened and the run was completed, Ashwin and Karthik both heaved a sigh of relief. He picked a vacant space in the field and took the ball over mid-off.

“As soon as I got that run, I was so happy. Now, no one will throw any stones at my home! (Laughs) If I can lift the ball and place it somewhere, it will be good. I thought God has made this guy smash Haris Rauf over his head for a 6 on the back foot and over the square leg for another with a flick. Won’t God allow my chip over the infield in some vacant area? And thank god, it did. What a moment,” he added.