Ashwin has been active on YouTube much before his international retirement
Ravichandran Ashwin’s YouTube channel will not be discussing Chennai Super Kings’ matches for the remainder of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2015, a note from the channel admin confirmed.
The decision follows a social media storm which kicked off with Prasanna Agoram, former Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s analyst and a channel regular, criticising CSK’s decision to pick Afghanistan spinner Noor Ahmad in the November auction.
Following the back-to-back losses against RCB by 50 runs and then to Rajasthan Royals by six runs, Prasanna felt that CSK made a mistake by picking Ahmad when they already had Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja in the ranks.
The comments received backlash from CSK fans as Ahmad is currently the Purple Cap holder with 10 wickets from four matches at an average of 11. Meanwhile, the experienced duo of Ashwin and Jadeja are on three and two wickets respectively while CSK are languishing at ninth in the table with just one win and three straight losses.
ALSO READ:
“Given the nature of the discussions on this forum over the last week, we want to be mindful of how things can be interpreted and have chosen to step away from covering CSK games, both previews and reviews, for the rest of this season,” a note by the channel admin said.
“We value the diversity of perspectives that come through on our shows and remain committed to ensuring the conversation stays true to the integrity and purpose of the platform we’ve established. The views expressed by our guests do not reflect Ashwin’s personal opinions,” it further added.
When CSK head coach Stephen Fleming was questioned about the debate online, he sidestepped by saying, “That’s irrelevant.”
While the guests’ views are bound to contradict with CSK management’s decisions at some point in the season, they are still far away from influencing what’s happening with the team’s performances. Ashwin himself hasn’t been on top of things as his average has ballooned to 40 after bowling 13 overs in three matches so far.
The likes of Ahmad and Matheesha Pathirana have shouldered the burden of CSK’s bowling with the rest unable to find their footing. Even more concerning is the fact that Ruturaj Gaikwad’s side have played three of the four matches at Chepauk and lost two of them at a stadium which was a fortress in the past seasons.
CSK will next face Punjab Kings in New Chandigarh on Tuesday as they hope for an uptick in results.
For more updates, follow CricXtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Telegram, and YouTube.
