Former Indian cricketers VVS Laxman and Aakash Chopra heaped praise on India’s seasoned off-spinner R Ashwin, describing the “intelligent bowler” as one of the biggest match-winners that India has ever produced ahead of the final Test match against England starting March 4 in Ahmedabad.
The off-spinner has been probably enjoying one of the best times of his career of the last 6 months, first helped Delhi Capitals reach the final of the IPL 2020 and then helped India to win the Test series 2-1 in Australia by taking 11 wickets on the tour apart from some heroic cameos with the bat.
Well, Ashwin continued his merry run in the ongoing four-match Test series against England at home, as the off-spinner has so far taken 24 wickets in three Tests as well as scored a match-winning century in the second Test on a tricky surface on offer in Chennai to help Team India back on the road to victory.
In the recent third Test in Ahmedabad, Ashwin created history as he became only the fourth Indian bowler and the third Indian spinner overall to enter the 400-wicket club in Test cricket. The off-spinner also became the second-fastest bowler after Muttiah Muralitharan to attain the feat.
Chopra said on the Star Sports show Cricket Connected: “Phenomenal, seventy-seven Test matches for 400 Test wickets. Let the naysayers be, the fact is that when the pitch is dished out there are four or five spinners playing on the very same surface. One guy is picking more wickets than anybody else and it is not that you are playing only on rank turners.”
Meanwhile, Laxman said: “I think he is a very intelligent person. When you are playing at the highest level, it is not only about the skill, but it is about your preparation, it is about your planning, and execution is so critical. He works out what are the weaknesses of the batsmen, he plans those dismissals and that is why I think he is reinventing himself.”
However the commentator Chopra said Anil Kumble will remain the number one spinner for India, but Ashwin is an absolute rockstar and one of the biggest match-winners India has ever produced.
He signed off by saying, “He has been absolutely phenomenal with the craft he has displayed over a period of time and as he is growing as a bowler, he is picking up a lot of wickets overseas. So, that question mark is also getting answered quite nicely and I feel he is an absolute rockstar, he is one of the biggest match-winners that India has ever produced, of course, Anil Kumble will remain at No.1 still.”
