"I am not a big fan of Ashwin in white-ball cricket" - Sanjay Manjrekar

Sanjay Manjrekar has opened up about not being a fan of Ravichandran Ashwin when it comes to limited-overs cricket. He wasn’t impressed by the manner in which the 35-year-old bowled in the previous match against Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Ashwin was the least effective of the Delhi Capitals bowlers in a match where Sunrisers Hyderabad were restricted to 134/9 in their 20 overs. The off-spinner conceded 22 runs in 2.5 overs without adding anything to the wickets column.

Reckoning that Delhi Capitals could give Amit Mishra the nod ahead of Ravichandran Ashwin, Sanjay Manjrekar said on Instagram:

“I was a little surprised that they played Ashwin ahead of Amit Mishra. I don’t think Ashwin bowled too well. I am not a big fan of Ashwin in white-ball cricket. So if they can get Mishra in, he becomes that wrist spinner that is always a game-changer in T20 cricket.”

The former India batter felt the franchises were a bit unfair on players like Amit Mishra. He tends to get a raw deal despite performing well when he gets games, felt Sanjay Manjrekar, who added:

“People like Amit Mishra, low profile players, tend to get a raw deal. Every time Mishra plays, he has got wickets for Delhi and the other franchises he has played before.”

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"I really would like to see them fit in Tabraiz Shamsi" - Sanjay Manjrekar on Rajasthan Royals

Tabraiz Shamsi is ranked first among the bowlers in T20I cricket

Sanjay Manjrekar opined that Rajasthan Royals need a bit more depth in the spin department. Expressing his desire to see the team try and fit in left-arm wrist-spinner Tabraiz Shamsi in the side, he said:

“The one thing that Rajasthan needs is some help with spin. Against Punjab, you could see that they were trying to get some spinners in, some variation. I really would like to see them fit in Tabraiz Shamsi, a typical T20 bowler, not quite orthodox. He might be able to give them a bit of variety. If the fast bowlers don’t get you wickets, maybe he could.”

The No. 1 ranked bowler in the T20I format is the latest addition to the Rajasthan line-up for the second phase of IPL 2021.

Sanjay Manjrekar revealed that he favors Delhi Capitals to win the match against the Royals on Saturday, saying:

“Despite Rajasthan’s win in the last match, Delhi start as favorites. Punjab was the better side for 38 overs in the match. Something bizarre happened in the last two overs for Rajasthan to win," Sanjay Manjrekar signed off.

Rajasthan Royals have defended eight runs in their last two overs to win their previous match against the Punjab Kings.