MS Dhoni clears air by saying Ravichandran Ashwin has bailed him out in lot of situations

New Delhi: Putting all speculations to rest regarding the perceived differences with Ravichandran Ashwin, India's limited-overs skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Sunday hailed the offie by saying that he has "bailed" me out on numerous occasions.

"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 was quoted as saying by PTI.

Dhoni statement seems like a desperate attempt to clear the air about any sort of difference between the two.

It all started, when Dhoni underutilised his premier bowler in the recently concluded WT20 semi-final against the West Indies.

Later, Ashwin's statement that he did not bowl when the dew had come in to play a significant role, added fuel to fire.

In fact, in the IPL opener against Mumbai Indians, Rising Pune Supergaints skipper Dhoni again surprised many when he brought Ashwin on as late as the 16th over to bowl for the first time.

However, Dhoni further cleared the air by saying that giving Ashwin the bowl in 16th over was part of the strategy.

"It's a subject, like revealing strategy. Ashwin is a matured bowler. He can bowl at any point of time. I knew the moment they (Mumbai Indians) lost a few wickets there was pressure on their middle or lower middle order," added Dhoni.