"Silencing haters in style" - Fans erupt as Ravichandran Ashwin roars back to form with impactful spell in DC vs RR match of IPL 2024

Ravichandran Ashwin was the pick of the bowlers for Rajasthan Royals (RR) in their IPL 2024 match against Delhi Capitals (DC) at Arun Jaitley Stadium on Tuesday, May 7. The veteran spinner registered impressive figures of 4-0-24-4 in the encounter.

Rajasthan won the toss and elected to field first. Delhi were off to a brilliant start, with openers Jake Fraser-McGurk and Abhishek Porel stitching together a 60-run opening stand. Ashwin drew first blood for RR, getting rid of the dangerous Fraser-McGurk in the fifth over.

The swashbuckling batter perished after scoring 50 off 20 balls. He lost his wicket while trying to clear the infield off a full toss. However, he couldn't get the elevation right and was caught at cover.

Ashwin struck again in the 10th over, sending back Axar Patel for 15. The southpaw looked to play a lofted shot but was ultimately caught by Riyan Parag. The well-set Porel was Ashwin's third victim. The youngster, who notched up his maiden IPL fifty, was out on 65. He was caught by Sandeep Sharma at backward point in the 13th over.

Several fans and experts took to social media, lauding Ashwin for his brilliant bowling performance. Here are some of the top reactions:

A few fans pointed out how Ashwin made a fantastic comeback after being under the scanner following a string of underwhelming performances.

"Never doubt on Legend like Ashwin he is match winner and sanju knows that." wrote a fan

"Ashwin anna delivering his best spell of this IPL already. Please accept my apologies for not trusting you." commented another

"India should definitely go with Ashwin for this worldcup. See how left handers are struggling against him. Once again he proved class is permanent." chimed in yet another

It is worth mentioning that Ravichandran Ashwin picked up just two wickets from RR's first 10 matches in IPL 2024. Much to the delight of his supporters, the seasoned campaigner roared back to form with a three-wicket haul against DC.

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"I have been working on different angles and releases" - Ravichandran Ashwin

During the mid-inning interview, Ravichandran Ashwin said that he has been working hard on his game, trying out new angles and release points. He also opined that a bowler cannot escape the wrath of the batters by just bowling good balls in modern-day T20 cricket. Ashwin said:

"Sometimes you have nights these like and you don't - bowl a full toss and get wickets. I have been working on a few things. Sometimes you find yourself wanting to search for more and more. This IPL season has been quite exceptional. I have been working on different angles and releases. Got a couple of balls to hold."

"Wouldn't say it is a par score. You need to bat really well, they got Kuldeep and Axar so how you manage them is key. You are probably going to see more baseballers playing cricket. I think in modern-day T20 those good balls aren't good balls anymore," he added

Delhi finished at 221/8 in 20 overs. Apart from Abhishek Porel and Jake Fraser-McGurk's half-centuries, Tristan Stubbs chipped in with an explosive 41-run cameo towards the back end of the innings.