Mumbai: After Indian team skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s ‘sit-down’ session with an Australian Journalist at a post match press conference during the World T20 at Wankhede Stadium here, it was the turn of his team-mate R. Ashwin to take a dig at a journalist.
Ashwin showed displeasure when a scribe asked him how he would counter the dew factor here as he and with Ravindra Jadeja struggled to bowl with the wet ball against West Indies in the World T20 semis. “When there was dew I did not bowl. It’s better you ask someone who actually bowled, to be very honest. I don’t know how it felt with the dew on. It’s very amusing because with the first 12 balls I bowled, I created a wicket opportunity as well,” Ashwin said ahead of his new franchise Rising Pune Supergiants’ opening IPL game against title-holders Mumbai Indians on Saturday.
When reminded by the journalist that his skipper Dhoni had blamed dew for below par bowling performance against West Indies, Ashwin retorted, “I don’t know what the captain said.” Supergiants team manager Russell Radhakrishnan intervened and requested scribes to keep questions restricted to IPL.
At the end of the conference, Ashwin confronted the journalist to find out the publication he represented.
“I am not blaming you. But you should be responsible about what you write as millions of people read it and form an opinion,” said the player. The Indian off-spinner also said that he should not be made a villain for bowling one of the two no-balls.
“The day I went back home my dog had heat stroke. He had fits. It just showed me what is more important and what is very very important in life. I did not turn up a piece of paper for next three days. I haven’t read about what people had said.
“There have been good enough journalists and knowledgeable people who said I had not bowled a no-ball for ages and to have bowled one no ball, I don’t become a villain. If that’s the perception I don’t know how to counter that,” he said.
