Delhi Capitals' spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has revealed that his team's head coach Ricky Ponting was invovled in a heated altercation with Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Virat Kohli during their second clash in the league stage.
DC had won the match by six wickets, thus qualifying for the playoffs as the second-placed side in the IPL 2020 table. They secured a direct entry into qualifier 1, while RCB finished fourth.
Ashwin, on his YouTube channel, revealed that Ponting had reacted to Kohli after the latter had a word with umpire over the spinner's departure from the field.
"I had a back problem when I ran. It was a terrible pain. They took MRI scans and it was traced to a nerve pull to the back. I went off after bowling. And you know Ricky, he won’t leave any fight. And when RCB questioned, he said we aren’t like that etc. Heat of moment,” Ashwin said.
Ashwin had dismissed Kohli for the first time in his IPL career in the same contest.
“I have always loved bowling to Virat. He would never take chances against me. Would not give his wicket; it was a matter of pride for him. MS Dhoni also, is like that. In Pune, 2016, I set him (Kohli) up with a ball outside off and it went really high and just as I was thinking, ‘Aaha, Kohli wicket’, Ankit Sharma let the ball slip through his hands at extra-cover! Ai! What have you done!,” Ashwin said.
Ashwin and Kohli are set to share the dressing room now, with Team India returning to action for the first time since March earlier this year. The off-spinner is a part of India's Test squad for the tour to Australia.
The first Test takes place in Adelaide from December 17.
