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Kaif recalled his tenure with Delhi Capitals as an assistant coach when the off-spinner was part of the franchise along with Australian batter, Steve Smith.
Steve Smith and Ashwin were in Delhi Capitals in IPL 2021
Ravichandran Ashwin recently bid adieu to international cricket after serving the country for 14 years. The veteran spinner retired as the second-highest wicket-taker in Tests for India, after former captain Anil Kumble. The 38-year-old was a proven spin wizard in the longest format of the game but also proved his mettle in white-ball cricket as well. A 2011 ODI World Cup winner, Ashwin played 116 ODIs and 65 T20Is, where he picked 156 and 72 wickets, respectively.
Ashwin will keep plying his trade in club cricket as well as in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He was recently picked by Chennai Super Kings, marking his reunion with the franchise after 10 years. The off-spinner has played 212 IPL matches since 2009 and picked 180 wickets.
Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif recently shared an anecdote, explaining Ashwin’s brilliance on the field. Kaif recalled his tenure with Delhi Capitals as an assistant coach when the off-spinner was part of the franchise along with Australian batter, Steve Smith.
“I’ve worked with Ashwin in the IPL for two seasons in the Delhi Capitals camp. Back in 2020, when the team reached the final, Ashwin played a crucial role. He bowled with the new ball and even got the wickets of big players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Kieron Pollard, etc. Later in 2021, he was even picked for the T20 World Cup, which happened after the IPL and both tournaments were held in Dubai,” Kaif said in the video.
The former cricketer was surprised by Ashwin’s presence of mind as the latter noticed a camera attached to Smith’s helmet and refused to bowl to him in the nets.
“Steve Smith was in our team, and one day when he came to the nets to bat, I asked Ashwin to bowl to him, but the off-spinner denied. That’s when I was impressed with his in-depth analysis of the game, and I request you to name him an ‘in-depth’ Ashwin.
Ashwin said, ‘I won’t bowl to Smith because he has got a camera on his helmet. He will record us and analyse it for the World Cup.’ I couldn’t notice the camera on Smith’s helmet, but Ashwin did. He was ready to help Smith as a teammate but not for the World Cup,” Kaif added.
Ashwin played three matches in the 2021 T20 World Cup and picked up six wickets. India endured an underwhelming campaign as they failed to make it to the semis. The tournament also marked the end of Virat Kohli’s captaincy tenure in the shortest format of the game.
