Ashwin slams Brook's 'smog' excuse for poor performance against India
What's the story
Former Indian cricketer, Ravichandran Ashwin, has taken to social media to slam England's Harry Brook for blaming smog for his poor performance in the ongoing T20I series.
Brook, who has been dismissed twice by Indian spinner Varun Chakravarthy, said that visibility issues due to smog at Eden Gardens made it difficult for him to read the spinners' deliveries.
Ashwin called the excuse baseless during a discussion on his YouTube channel 'Ash Ki Baat.'
Dismissal analysis
Ashwin highlights Brook's inability to read Chakravarthy's deliveries
Ashwin, who retired from international cricket in December 2024, analyzed Brook's dismissals in the first two T20Is.
He noted that Brook had moved to the leg stump and failed to read the delivery, leading to his dismissal.
In another case, despite covering the stump and taking a big stride forward, Brook couldn't decipher Chakravarthy's googly and was dismissed again.
Excuse refuted
Ashwin dismisses Brook's 'smog' claim as irrelevant
Refuting Brook's smog claim, Ashwin said, "There was no smog there in Chennai."
He stressed that irrespective of light, if a player can't read the googly out of Chakravarthy's hand, they are just not reading the delivery.
This implies that Ashwin thinks Brook's struggles against Chakravarthy are due to his failure to read the spinner's deliveries correctly and not external factors like smog.
Commentary criticism
Shastri and Gavaskar join Ashwin in dismissing Brook's smog claim
Ravi Shastri and Sunil Gavaskar also debunked Brook's smog claim on their commentary after he lost his wicket in the second T20I.
Shastri jokingly said, "You don't need the smog tonight. This one has sneaked through."
Gavaskar added, "The light is clearer here in Chennai. There was some smog in Eden Gardens Kolkata. No smog here, had no idea where the ball was going."
Their comments further emphasize skepticism toward Brook's excuse for his performance against India.