Ravichandran Ashwin has been impressive throughout his IPL career, starting with his stellar performance for the Chennai Super Kings in the inaugural season and has grown into one of India’s best Test bowlers under MS Dhoni’s mentorship. Despite playing for Delhi Capitals, Punjab Kings and now Rajasthan Royals, he has continued to find joy in the spin-friendly surface of the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. His impact was clearly seen in RR’s last match against CSK, where Ashwin claimed 2/25 runs in four overs. Let’s look at R Ashwin’s 3 best performances in Chennai in IPL history:
3) 3 for 16 against KKR, 2010
On a difficult pitch in Chennai, KKR chose to bat first, but their fortunes were not in their favor. The introduction of Ashwin into the attack caused an instant impact as he fooled Chris Gayle with his spin and bounce. MS Dhoni kept up the pressure from behind the wickets. Ashwin took the wickets of Brendon McCullum and David Hussey. KKR could not decipher his variations and only managed to post 139 runs. CSK then romped to victory with nine wickets remaining.
2) 3 for 16 against RCB, 2011
During the 2011 IPL final, RCB needed 206 runs to win against the Chennai Super Kings. Led by Chris Gayle, who had scored 608 runs in the tournament, RCB had the upper hand. But then Ravichandran Ashwin changed the course of the match with a slick delivery that induced an outside edge off Gayle’s bat, dismissing him early. His quick action resulted in RCB’s batting line-up crumbling down and losing the match by 58 runs. Mayank Agarwal and Daniel Vettori were also removed by Ashwin, sealing the victory for CSK and winning the title with a comprehensive margin of 58 runs.
1) 3 for 23 against Delhi Daredevils, 2012
Chennai Super Kings were up against Delhi Daredevils in the second qualifier of the 2012 Indian Premier League. Murali Vijay’s masterful 113 off 58 balls enabled CSK to reach a formidable total of 222 for 5. Delhi’s innings were quickly contained by the brilliant spin bowling of R Ashwin, who took 3 wickets for 23 runs. CSK eventually emerged victorious by a huge margin of 86 runs, advancing to the IPL playoffs.
