Watch: Ravichandran Ashwin rattles stumps of Sikandar Raza with ‘magical delivery’

Rajasthan Royals all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin sent off Sikandar Raza with a spectacular carrom ball during Wednesday’s (5 April) Indian Premier League (IPL) match against Punjab Kings. The official Twitter page of the IPL shared a clip of the dismissal, terming the delivery a “magical” one. The event transpired in the 16th over of Punjab’s batting. Ashwin released the first delivery targeting the off-stump, which completely baffled Raza. The Zimbabwean all-rounder attempted to play it through the offside but ended up losing his stumps. Raza spent two balls at the crease and scored just one run. Soon after the footage dropped on Twitter, fans rallied to the comment section, lauding Ashwin for his smart bowling.

A fan hardly took any time to suggest that Ashwin should play in the forthcoming ODI World Cup, saying, “In Indian condition, he is a legend.”

Another fan labelled the delivery as “the ball of the season.”

A user hailed Ashwin’s plenty of variations and noted, “Outstanding delivery. When you have so much Ammo in your armoury, you need not bother about the nonstriker.”

Here are some other reactions:

On a day when other Rajasthan Royals bowlers were brutally punished, Ravichandran Ashwin maintained an economy rate of 6.25, wrapping up his four-over spell with a figure of 1/25. As an experimental move, the team management promoted the veteran all-rounder up in the batting order and sent him to open the innings alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal. The decision failed to bring the desired result. Ashwin managed to survive only four balls at the crease and returned to the pavilion with a duck, while on a chase of a mammoth 198 runs.

The other Rajasthan batters also looked pale on the occasion, which saw them falling 5 runs short of the massive target in the end. Captain Sanju Samson was their highest run-getter, scoring 42 runs off 25 deliveries. Shimron Hetmyer and Dhruv Jurel played blistering cameos in the latter half but failed to sail them across the victory line. Hetmyer smashed 36 runs in 18 balls, while Jurel remained unbeaten at 32 off 15.

Rajasthan Royals will aim to get back on the winning track when they clash against Delhi Capitals in the upcoming IPL fixture, scheduled for 8 April.
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