'It is improving with good captains' - R Ashwin praises teams for backing underperforming bowlers

Gujarat Titans pacer Yash Dayal endured a poor day at the office as he got thrashed for five consecutive sixes by Kolkata Knight Riders' Rinku Singh in the 13th match of the Indian Premier League 2023 on April 9. The left-arm pacer conceded 69 runs, including 31 in the 20th over as KKR successfully chased a 205-run target to hand the Titans their first defeat of the season.

However, the cricket fraternity has united with much-needed support for Dayal and that has left Ravichandran Ashwin impressed. The veteran spinner has backed the underperforming bowlers in the tournament. He highlighted the different treatment a bowler and batter receives upon failures, stating that bowlers receive more critcism if they fail to perform. 

Ashwin also highlighted MS Dhoni's backing for Tushar Deshpande after the pacer conceded 51 runs against Gujarat Titans in the season opener. However, Dhoni backed him in the following two games and Deshpande currently leads the bowling chart for his team, with five wickets in three innings of IPL 2023.

“The understanding of a bowler and what he needs has to come from inside the team management. It is improving with good captains, like how Dhoni backed Tushar Desphande after the first game. A batter will go on to make an eight-ball four, and he won’t be spoken about, but a bowler who goes for 45 runs in four overs is. We need to turn the lens around, and slowly, it will,” Ashwin was quoted by The Hindu.

Apart from Ashwin, many have come forward to show their support for Dayal, including former cricketer Irfan Pathan, renowned commentator Harsha Bhogle, and franchise Kolkata Knight Riders. The fans are also backing the pacer to come back stronger in the next game as Gujarat Titans, placed fourth in the IPL points table, face Punjab Kings on April 13 at Mohali's PCA IS Bindra Stadium.