The Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise, Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) announced their captain for the upcoming season as India off-spinner R Ashwin. This will be Ashwin’s maiden stint as a leader of an IPL team. Even though Yuvraj Singh, a former KXIP also in the team, was also in the reckoning, KXIP mentor Virender Sehwag said that he always wanted a bowler to lead the side.

Talking about the selection of the skipper, Sehwag said, “I always thought that a bowler should be made the captain because I was a big fan of Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, and Kapil Dev. I thought a bowler would be the best candidate for our team’s captaincy. Yuvraj was also there in our minds. But a lot of votes from our support staff and owners went to Ashwin.”

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For Ashwin, who was an integral part of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in IPL 2015, captaincy promotion was part of a “natural progression” after his seven-year international career.

Talking about the same, Ashwin said, “I see it as a natural progression for having played cricket for so long at the top level. I have always felt I had it in me (to be captain). WV Raman identified me as a captain when I was 21 years old. I ended up winning a few titles for TN. But for a bowler to become a captain, which is not something natural in the country, this is something fascinating.”

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Known for his innovation and out-of-the-box thinking, Ashwin reckons in his “tactical and strategical sharpness” to keep things going on the field.

Speaking on the same lines, the thinking spinner said, “Being a bowler captain, I will be able to understand the bowlers and field changes. There are so many numbers and stats that can be crunched in T20s. I believe in a certain amount of preparation before a match. I also believe my tactical and strategic sharpness which might stand me in good stead. I think I have got enough experience inside the dressing room to be able to fall back on to with those decisions.”