The much-anticipated Rahul Dravid-Ravichandran Ashwin combination is yet to take off in the inaugural European T20 Premier League, with Dublin Guardians suffering their fourth successive defeat on Wednesday, September 2.
Dravid, the former India head coach, is the owner of the Dublin franchise, while Ashwin is leading the side on the field. But four matches into the tournament, the much-discussed owner-player combination has little to show for its promise, with Dublin yet to open their account.
Ashwin, however, has largely done his bit with the ball.
The off-spinner picked up a wicket in each of Dublin’s first two matches, returning figures of 1/23 in four overs against Belfast Wolves and 1/43 against Glasgow Comets. The economy rate took a beating in the second game as the Guardians conceded 183, with Jason Roy smashing 60. In the opener, Glenn Maxwell had powered Belfast to 184 with a 60-run knock.
Ashwin was much tighter in Dublin’s third game, finishing with 0/20 from his four overs as Edinburgh Castle Rockers were restricted to just 110. Mitchell Santner was the star with the ball, claiming five wickets as Glasgow were rocked in the chase.
Ashwin continued to provide control on Wednesday, conceding just 21 runs in his four overs and picking up a wicket. But his efforts were once again not enough as Dublin’s bowling attack struggled to contain Rotterdam Dockers’ chase.
There were, at least, encouraging signs with the bat.
James Vince produced the innings Dublin had been waiting for, smashing an unbeaten 95 from 54 balls, with five fours and six sixes. Sanjay Krishnamurthi chipped in with 26 from 17 balls, while Vijay Shankar provided a late burst with 26 from 13 as Dublin posted 178 for four.
But Rotterdam made the target look considerably smaller than it was.
Michael Levitt’s 14-ball 35 gave the chase an explosive start before Faf du Plessis took over. The former South Africa captain struck 79 from 51 balls, hitting nine fours and a six, to ensure Rotterdam never allowed the required rate to become a serious problem. Heinrich Klaasen then finished the job with an unbeaten 34 as the Dockers reached 179 for three in 18.4 overs.
CAN DUBLIN FIGHT BACK?
For Dublin, the bigger concern remains the lack of a sustained batting contribution around Vince. Daryl Mitchell is yet to arrive at the party, while Harry Tector and Krishnamurthi have managed 93 and 83 runs respectively. What Dublin have missed is the kind of match-defining consistency du Plessis has provided for Rotterdam, with the veteran already having 170 runs in four matches.
The good news for Dravid and Ashwin is that the campaign is far from over. Dublin have six more matches in the round-robin stage, beginning with a clash against Amsterdam Flames, led by Scott Edwards, on Saturday.
But in a six-team tournament where the top three advance to the knockout stage, the Guardians may already have used up their margin for error.
For now, the Dravid-Ashwin project is still waiting for its first win.
– Ends
