R Ashwin on dual role as captain and mentor of Dublin Guardians

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Former India off-spinner R Ashwin, who will shoulder the dual responsibility of captain and mentor for ex-India captain Rahul Dravid-owned Dublin Guardians in the European T20 Premier League (EPTL), revealed that the former Team India head coach will not be involved in the team’s cricketing decisions.     

“I think freedom is very important for the people to be on the side [of running] a cricket team on the field. And I don’t think we’ve had too many issues at all so far. Rahul has been very clear that he doesn’t want to involve himself as much in cricketing decisions, which is why I’m at the centre of it. I’ll be taking responsibility for it and I also have to construct the team.

“It is new territory for all of us. We are looking forward to it and hopefully in the long run make a difference. Rahul and I both will have our sincere stamp on whatever we do in this tournament,” Ashwin told mid-day after the ETPL player draft during a virtual interaction with select media on Thursday. 

Ashwin, 39, represented India in 287 matches across all three formats, taking 765 international wickets. Earlier, in the same dual role of captain and coach, Ashwin guided the Dindigul Dragons to the Tamil Nadu Premier League title in 2024.

“I think I’m at that stage of my career where I’d like to contribute more than just as a player. And for whatever it is worth, even if it’s a state-run league, I’ve been a coach-cum-captain for the last couple of years that I’ve played there. So, it was just a straight connection. Rahul had seen me do the job and understands what I do back home in club cricket. So, I think he was pretty confident that I could do it. It’s just a crossover into what I’d like to do next,” Ashwin added.

The inaugural edition of the six-team ETPL will be played in Ireland and the Netherlands from August 26 to September 20.

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