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Ravichandran Ashwin also picked Ben Duckett and Jacob Bethell as two players to watch out for in the India-England series.
Ravichandran Ashwin.
Ravichandran Ashwin believes England wicketkeeper-batter Phil Salt is potentially the world’s ‘most valuable’ T20 batter.
Ashwin made the remark while speaking about Salt’s indifferent form in recent weeks in a video on his YouTube channel on the eve of the first of five T20Is between India and England at Eden Gardens. Salt has just one score of 50-plus and six single-digit ones in his last 10 T20 innings.
“Phil Salt played for Abu Dhabi Knight Riders. We can say that he could be the most valuable T20 batter in the world. So, if we look at his performance considering that, he is not coming in with a very good form. He scored a 70 and it was a very struggling 70,” Ashwin said.
However, India will not want to take Salt likely. In 2024, he played for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the IPL and batted stunningly at Eden, their home ground. He has 350 runs to his name here in seven matches at an average of 58.33 and a strike rate of 185.19.
The recently-retired India-spinner also spoke about Ben Duckett, Salt’s opening partner, who blossomed under Brendon McCullum’s coaching in Tests and is now doing the same in white-ball cricket.
“I know him very well,” Ashwin said. “I played county cricket in Nottingham with him. He is a fearless cricketer. The success he has had in Test cricket as an opening batter, can he replicate that in white-ball cricket? He made his debut for England as a white-ball specialist. He played sweeps and reverse sweeps in Bangladesh. He got dropped from the team after that because it was a learning curve for him. He came back to Test cricket and was very successful. Why was he so successful? There was a very important template for that, and it was Bazball.”
Duckett has 315 runs in 12 T20Is with a strike rate of 145.16.
‘Definitely a player to watch’: Ashwin on Bethell
Another player on Ashwin’s watch-out-for list is Jacob Bethell, the young left-hander who Royal Challengers Bengaluru signed for Rs. 2.6 crore in the IPL 2024 auction.
“His entry into international cricket till now in Test cricket and whatever white-ball cricket he has played, he has entertained to the core. This guy has so much ability that he can do anything. He would definitely be a player to watch out for.”
“If you are an RCB fan and like to watch new cricketers, then pay a little attention to this guy. He can be a big player in the future,” Ashwin said.
The first T20I kicks of at 7pm IST on Wednesday.
