R Ashwin has recalled the suggestion MS Dhoni had given him following the historic Test between India and West Indies in 2011 in Mumbai, which was drawn with the scores level.
India and West Indies had played out a nail-biting thriller on the final day of their three-match series, with the scores being level when the stumps were drawn for only the fourth time in Test history.
The onus towards the end of a frantic day was on a fresh-faced Ashwin, who had scored a century in the first innings, having made his Test debut earlier that series. He had put on a 35-run stand with a fellow youngster, a certain Virat Kohli, whose dismissal for 63 set up a nervy finale.
Ravichandran Ashwin has always been a fan of the ‘Mankad’ 👀pic.twitter.com/Z8dHHLIqlC
— Wisden India (@WisdenIndia) July 5, 2020
It came down to India needing three runs off the final over, with just two wickets remaining. “In the final innings, we looked good to chase, but all of a sudden, we had a collapse,” Ashwin told Mazher Arshad on YouTube. “I found myself batting with the tail. It was very interesting, because I had a hundred in the first innings. Second innings, I was again batting well. I was 20-odd. I was left with I think Varun Aaron at the other end, and I think it might have been two balls, two runs to get… we had two wickets in hand.
“I didn’t want to risk going for a big shot, and then, the next batsman coming in and getting out – we could lose the Test match, from being in a position of strength, it was not even 50-50. So I blocked that ball from Fidel Edwards, because it was swinging nicely and the chances of a No.11 getting out was pretty high. It was the calculation I’d put in my head, it was all coming from how much first-class cricket I had played, and whatever I believed was the right decision to make.”
With two needed off the final delivery, Ashwin was run out, having hesitated to run for two, leaving the scores tied at the end of the match. It caused a huge uproar, with questions being asked why Ashwin hesitated to run two, prompting him to issue a response on Twitter.
Can anyone tell what differently cud have been done??instead of saying cud have run the 2…moment I completed 1 the throw was over my head.
— Ashwin (During Covid 19)🇮🇳 (@ashwinravi99) November 26, 2011
“I still believe it was the right decision to make,” he said. “When I hit the ball to long on, it really went quick and straight to the fielder, so the chance to run for two was not there. It was quite an interesting game.
“After the game, MS Dhoni came to me and said, ‘You could have taken a chance in the previous ball. Probably taken a single, and let Varun Aaron slog one off the last ball’. So yeah, that’s hindsight.”
Despite that stalemate, India won the series 2-0, with Ashwin winning both the Player of the Match and Player of the Series awards.
