New Delhi, Dec 29 (NationPress) Former Indian all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin expressed his admiration for Nathan Ellis, the captain of the Hobart Hurricanes, who achieved outstanding bowling figures of 3/30 during his four-over stint against the Melbourne Renegades on Monday. This performance was pivotal in securing a four-wicket victory for his team in the ongoing Big Bash League (BBL).

Ashwin noted that the management of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) would be pleased with Ellis's preparations ahead of the Indian Premier League 2026, where the Australian fast bowler is expected to play for the five-time champions. The Indian veteran highlighted Ellis's impressive bowling during the death overs in his recent BBL match, where he took two significant wickets in just two overs.

In a post on X, Ashwin remarked, “The men in yellow will undoubtedly be satisfied with his performance. He bowled 4 overs, taking 3 wickets for 30 runs for the Hobart Hurricanes today. Most critically, he bowled 2 overs, conceding only 15 runs while claiming 2 wickets at the death, executing his yorkers and varying his pace excellently. It’s safe to assert that two overs of Ellis are locked at the ‘Pauk’ in the death for the summer of 26?”

It's worth mentioning that Ashwin was initially set to become the first Indian male cricketer to participate in the Australian tournament after being signed by the Sydney Thunder, but he had to withdraw due to a knee injury sustained in Chennai.

In the BBL match, the defending champions, the Hurricanes, secured their second victory over the Renegades within eight days, thanks to a steady chase led by a composed Matthew Wade and crucial wickets taken by Ellis.

While defending a total of 162, the Renegades appeared to be in control as their bowlers restricted the top order of Hobart, with Adam Zampa dismissing both Tim Ward and Ben McDermott in the same over. Despite no Hurricanes batter exceeding 30 runs, Wade anchored the innings, finishing with an unbeaten 43 runs off 30 balls.

His late innings, which included three sixes and a four in the closing overs, sealed the win with six balls remaining, bolstered by a vital 38-run partnership with Rehan Ahmed, who contributed 23 runs.

Earlier in the match, the Renegades started aggressively with Josh Brown and Tim Seifert, but Ellis's transformative spell disrupted their momentum. Ultimately, Melbourne failed to capitalize on several promising starts and ended their innings at 9-162.

This victory propelled Hobart to second place in the points table, boasting four wins and one loss from five matches, while the Renegades languish at the bottom with two losses and a single win from their three matches so far.