IPL 2023: Ashwin Surprises All As He Comes Out To Open For Rajasthan Royals

RR vs PBKS: In the 8th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2023), Punjab Kings posted a hefty target of 198 runs against Rajasthan Royals. Given a huge target, all the fans and experts obviously expected the explosive opening pair of Jos Buttler and Yashasvi Jaiswal to come out and get things going for RR. However, captain Sanju Samson decided on a different opening pair which shocked everyone in the cricketing fraternity alike. 

Rajasthan Royals' dynamic think tank didn't send in form Jos Buttler to open the innings as Ravichandran Ashwin came out to open the inning with Yashasvi Jaiswal. All were shocked to see Ashwin on the field opening, while Jos Buttler was held back who has been a thunderous opener over the years in T20 cricket and even smacked a match-winning half-century for his team in the last game. 

The fans were further enraged after Ashwin failed to open his run account in the first 3 deliveries he faced and was dismissed on the fourth bowl. Buttler came out to bat at #3 after Ashwin was dismissed but didn't look in his usual rhythm when he opens the innings. Buttler managed to score 19 runs in 11 balls with a four and six before he was unluckily caught out by Nathan Ellis. However, the fans maintained that the English batter should've come out to open instead of Ashwin. 

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This out-of-the-box decision by Sanju Samson seemed to backfire for his own team. It'd be interesting to hear what the Rajasthan Royals' skipper has to say about sending out Ashwin to open the innings. However, it is highly unlikely that the fans would pay heed to any of these reasons if Rajasthan loses the game.