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Krishnamachari Srikkanth said that when Ravichandran Ashwin was at the top of his mark, Chris Gayle was under immense pressure.
Ravichandran Ashwin celebrates after dismissing Chris Gayle in IPL 2011 final (Picture credit: AFP)
Former India cricketer Krishnamachari Srikkanth has said that while Chris Gayle could smack any bowler for boundaries and sixes at will, it took Ravichandran Ashwin a mere four balls to dismiss him, claiming that the Windies batter was scared of the star India spinner.
Srikkanth said that when Ashwin was at the top of his mark, Gayle was under immense pressure.
While speaking during a book launch event in Chennai, Srikkanth said that Gayle’s formidable character took a beating when he faced Ashwin.
“Chris Gayle could hit anyone for sixes and fours but all it took for Ashwin to dismiss him was four balls. When Ashwin got the ball in his hand, Gayle’s legs started shaking,” Srikkanth said.
Ashwin has a brilliant record against Gayle. The former has dismissed Gayle five times in the Indian Premier League.
Gayle has scored just 53 runs in the 64 deliveries he faced from Ashwin in the Indian Premier League at a strike rate of 82.8.
Srikkanth lauded former India captain MS Dhoni for identifying Ashwin’s talents and turning him into a bowler who would do well in all formats of the game.
“The man who identified him as a great T20 bowler was Dhoni. Ashwin has evolved from T20 to ODIs to Test in an amazing manner. He is not only a good bowler, but also a great batter,” Srikkanth said.
Ashwin was picked up for Rs 9.75 crore in the IPL 2025 mega auction. Srikkanth welcomed him, the ‘prodigal son’ home to the Chennai Super Kings ahead of IPL 2025.
“When we first met Ashwin, he was playing Ranji for Tamil Nadu in the early 2000s (he made his first-class debut in 2006). I was involved in TNCA administration back then. We formed a great bond of friendship during the 2009 IPL in South Africa,” Chennai CEO Kasi Viswanathan said.
Ashwin began his Indian Premier League career with Chennai in the inaugural edition in 2008 and came into prominence in the 2010 season.
Ashwin has had a long and successful Indian Premier League career and he will be partnering with his long-time teammate Ravindra Jadeja for Chennai in the upcoming season.