The much-awaited Rahul Dravid-Ravichandran Ashwin partnership is yet to produce results in the inaugural European T20 Premier League, with Dublin Guardians suffering their fourth consecutive defeat on Wednesday, September 2.
Former India head coach Dravid owns the Dublin franchise, while Ashwin is leading the team on the field. However, four matches into the competition, the highly anticipated owner-player combination has yet to deliver a victory, with Dublin still without a point.
Ashwin, though, has been relatively effective with the ball.
The off-spinner claimed a wicket in each of Dublin's opening two matches, returning figures of 1/23 from four overs against Belfast Wolves and 1/43 against Glasgow Comets. His economy rate suffered in the second game as the Guardians conceded 183, with Jason Roy scoring 60. In the opening match, Glenn Maxwell had also powered Belfast to 184 with a 60-run innings.
Ashwin produced a more economical spell in Dublin's third game, finishing with 0/20 from his four overs as Edinburgh Castle Rockers were restricted to 110. Mitchell Santner was the standout bowler, taking five wickets as Glasgow struggled during the chase.
Ashwin again kept things tight on Wednesday, giving away only 21 runs in four overs while taking a wicket. However, his effort could not prevent Dublin's bowling unit from conceding Rotterdam Dockers' chase.
There were some positives for Dublin with the bat.
James Vince finally produced the substantial innings the team had been waiting for, smashing an unbeaten 95 off 54 deliveries, including five fours and six sixes. Sanjay Krishnamurthi added 26 from 17 balls, while Vijay Shankar provided a late flourish with 26 off 13 as Dublin finished on 178 for four.
Rotterdam, however, made the target appear far less challenging.
Michael Levitt gave the chase a rapid start with 35 from just 14 balls before Faf du Plessis took charge. The former South Africa captain scored 79 off 51 deliveries, hitting nine fours and one six, ensuring the required run rate never became a major concern. Heinrich Klaasen then completed the chase with an unbeaten 34 as Rotterdam reached 179 for three in 18.4 overs.
CAN DUBLIN TURN THINGS AROUND?
Dublin's biggest concern remains the absence of consistent contributions alongside Vince. Daryl Mitchell is yet to make a significant impact, while Harry Tector and Krishnamurthi have scored 93 and 83 runs respectively.
What Dublin have lacked is the kind of consistent, match-winning batting that du Plessis has delivered for Rotterdam. The veteran already has 170 runs from four matches.
The positive for Dravid and Ashwin is that the campaign still has plenty of cricket left. Dublin have six more round-robin matches, beginning with Saturday's clash against Amsterdam Flames, led by Scott Edwards.
However, with only six teams in the competition and the top three progressing to the knockout stage, the Guardians may have very little room left for further mistakes.
For now, the Dravid-Ashwin project continues its search for a first victory.
