WTC Final: [Watch] "It's outrageous to see people try the helicopter shot" - Ravichandran Ashwin rates shots played by fans

Ravichandran Ashwin rating a shot by a fan. Pic: ICC/ Twitter
Ravichandran Ashwin rating a shot by a fan. Pic: ICC/ Twitter

The ICC has shared a fun video of Team India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin rating a compilation of cricket shots played by fans.

Ravichandran Ashwin will be seen in action when India take on New Zealand in the World Test Championship (WTC) final in Southampton, starting Friday.

Ahead of the big day, the veteran cricketer to stepped into the shoes of a cricket expert and gave some interesting reviews on strokes played by fans.

Reacting to a well-executed helicopter shot, Ravichandran Ashwin said:

“It is so outrageous to see people try and do this helicopter shot all the time. I have played a lot of tennis ball cricket myself. I don’t know if it has come naturally to the person, but it has become an in-thing after MS Dhoni has done it. I don’t know if I am eligible enough to rate that kind of shot, but for the sheer ability and execution it’s 8 out of 10.”

Other clips show a youngster batting with a stump and timing the ball impressively, a dog taking a catch and people playing cricket in the rain.

Ravichandran Ashwin was also highly impressed with the video of a young girl batting on a carpet.

Ravichandran Ashwin is one of greats of the game: VVS Laxman

A few days back, former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar divided opinion when he claimed that, according to him, Ravichandran Ashwin was not an all-time great. India legend VVS Laxman, however, had a differing view and termed the off-spinner one of the greats of the sport.

He was quoted as telling India Today:

“…R Ashwin is a top-class off-spinner. There is no doubt he is one of the greats of the game. The way in which he has consistently won matches for India, not only but home, in the recent tour of Australia, is an example of his ability overseas. The way he restricted the run flow of the Australian batsmen (during 2020-21 Test series), the way he set Steve Smith out and got him out quite consistently shows he is high on confidence."

Laxman had also praised Ravindra Jadeja’s ability with both bat and ball, terming him as someone who can perform under pressure. He had said:

“...Ravindra Jadeja has shown in the recent past is he is not just a batsman who can play cameos but he can play big knocks, especially under pressure. I think Ravindra Jadeja will perform well as a batsman at No. 7 and being a left-hander, it will give the edge in the Indian batting line-up."

Both Ravichandran Ashwin and Jadeja have been picked in India’s playing XI for the WTC final, with Ishant Sharma getting the nod over Mohammed Siraj.

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Edited by Sankalp Srivastava