Ashwin and Smith were part of Delhi Capitals (DC), while Kaif was the assistant coach.
Former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif has revealed an interesting story from IPL 2021 when Ravichandran Ashwin denied bowling to Steve Smith in the nets. Ashwin and Smith were part of Delhi Capitals (DC), while Kaif was the assistant coach.
In a video on his official X (formerly Twitter) account, Kaif revealed he asked Ashwin to bowl to Smith in the nets, but the off-spinner denied it because the Aussie batter had worn a camera on his helmet. It would have helped Smith analyse his variations, which would have been mighty effective in the impending T20 World Cup in UAE.
“Steve Smith was in our team, and one day when he came to the nets to bat, I asked Ashwin to bowl to him, but the off-spinner denied. That’s when I was impressed with his in-depth analysis of the game. Ashwin said, ‘I won’t bowl to Smith because he has got a camera on his helmet. He will record us and analyse it for the World Cup.’ I couldn’t notice the camera on Smith’s helmet, but Ashwin did. He was ready to help Smith as a teammate but not for the World Cup.”
The T20 World Cup was scheduled right after IPL 2021, and Ashwin and Smith were selected by their respective teams. Had Ashwin revealed his variations, it would have helped the Australian side massively.
While Ravichandran Ashwin has retired from international cricket, he will continue playing in IPL and other club-level cricket. Chennai Super Kings picked him for a whopping INR 9.75 crore during the IPL 2025 auction, and Ashwin will return to playing at his home ground.
He has previously played for the Super Kings and found ample success since he knows the conditions quite well in Chennai. He has also been one of the finest defensive spinners in the league lately and was instrumental in Rajasthan Royals’ immense success in the previous cycle.
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CSK have a trend of picking experienced players with a proven track record in the league. Ashwin fits in that criteria and will contribute with both bat and ball.
His partnership with MS Dhoni is well known, and the two go together superbly. They will reunite in the yellow jersey and look to help CSK win their sixth title.
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