Former India opener Gautam Gambhir has expressed disappointment over Ravichandran Ashwin’s limited batting opportunities for India in white-ball cricket. Despite Ashwin’s reputation as an all-rounder in domestic cricket, he has predominantly been utilized as a bowler at the international level, where he has made significant contributions with his skillful spells.
Gambhir believes that India missed an opportunity by not promoting Ashwin, who has extensive experience with 100 Tests, 116 ODIs, and 65 T20Is, higher up the batting order to showcase his full potential with the bat.
“A bit disappointed, this country hasn’t seen the potential which you had with the bat, especially in white-ball cricket. I remember a long time back I said this you should be playing batting for India at number five or six or probably at number four. But yes, that is one thing which probably this country has missed out,” Gambhir said on the latest episode of Ravichandran Ashwin’s Kutti Stories.
“They have seen the potential of you with the ball what you have done in Test cricket but probably haven’t seen the potential you had with the bat,” he added.
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Ashwin’s Batting Record and Memorable Moments
Ashwin has impressive batting statistics in domestic cricket, with 5,221 runs in 156 first-class matches at an average of 28.06 and 1,346 runs in List A cricket at a strike rate of 77.35. Internationally, he has scored 184 runs in 19 T20I innings and 707 runs in 63 ODI innings.
Among his notable batting performances, Ashwin’s century in 2011 stands out. In a Test match against the West Indies, India was struggling at 331/6 when Ashwin, alongside Virat Kohli, delivered a crucial 103-run innings, helping India recover from a tough position.
While Ashwin is widely recognized for his bowling, particularly his variations, his achievements with the bat, like his maiden century in Mumbai, highlight the batting talent that was often underutilized by India in white-ball formats.
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