New Delhi: Not everything is right between two of the main protagonists of Indian cricket Ravichandran Ashwin and Mahendra Singh Dhoni. They were thick as thieves, but now the dynamics have changes, so thus their relationship.
The flash point might have just happened earlier this week, when the spin wizard failed to thank the limited overs' captain in a speech. And Dhoni fans were so livid that they trolled Ashwin calling him snobbish.
But it's a matter of conjecture to understand the reason behind the rift. And one good reason, as a matter of conjecture, is Dhoni's reluctance to bat Ashwin higher up.
The Cricketer of the Year has always been a confident batsman, and he has numbers to defend his cause. But the then Test captain wasn't convinced enough.
But since the arrival of Virat Kohli as the Test captain, Ashwin has got his chances, and taken them with both hands.
Once, after scoring his third Test ton on Day 2 of Antigua Test, and later he said that he's "always wanted to bat in the top-seven for the Indian team."
I've always wanted to bat in the top-seven for the Indian team, which is a long-time goal that I have to try to strive to get better at.I need to thank Anil bhai and Virat for having the confidence in me to be pushed at number six. There have been times in the past when I've played really well, and haven't really got the promotion," he said in July.
In the just concluded England series too, Ashwin batted at number seven and hit four fifties.
Last year also, there were reports of rift between the two, even though Rising Pune Supergiants' skipper rubbished any percieved difference with his star spinner.
"As I have said, Ashwin has bailed me out in a lot of situations - whether bowling in first six or in the slog phase. He is a bowler who can come in and do well at any time," Dhoni said, trying to clear the air about under-bowling the Tamil Nadu bowler, right from the start of the World T20.
Dhoni's under-utilisation of the off-spinner in the WT20 semi-final against the West Indies on March 31 had fuelled speculations that differences have cropped up between the two players.
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