Sunil Gavaskar : Ashwin will be a legend when he finishes his career

Ravichandran Ashwin became the second-fastest ever to reach 200 Test wickets when he scalped Kane Williamson in the second innings of the Kanpur Test. The spinner already leads the Man of the Series awards charts for India and also made his fifth ten-wicket haul to his name as he drew par with Harbhajan Singh with only Anil Kumble ahead with 8 instances.

Speaking about Ashwin, legend Sunil Gavaskar said, "Ashwin is galloping towards legendary status. He is already showing himself to be a great bowler and cricketer. The way he is batting and bowling, he will be a legend when he finishes his career," in an exclusive to NDTV.

Comparing Ravichandran Ashwin with other spin greats, the original Little Master said, "Opposition has been different when Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh played and when the four great spinners played. But Ashwin has got a huge heart and is a keen student of the game who is looking to get better every single day. He will certainly leave a mark on the game with both bat and ball."

Complementing Ashwin, it was left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja who also performed brilliantly at Kanpur as he won the Man of the Match award for his brilliant five-wicket haul and crucial runs lower down the order.

"Jadeja deserved the Man of the Match award. It is good to have three-four people in contention for the award as it means most of the players in the team have done well," Gavaskar said.

Gavaskar also was full of praise for coach Anil Kumble who has taken the team to new heights.

"As a coach, Kumble has been superb so far. His inputs must have been invaluable at the end of Day 1, when it was just one wicket down for New Zealand. The manner in which India struck back the next day in the first innings and got New Zealand dismissed for not too many, he must have told them what line and length to bowl and that made a big difference," said the former India skipper.

"This is where somebody who has played a lot of cricket, who has been a part of a winning team and who has been captain, can make a huge difference and we are begining to see it. It's early days as far as Kumble is concerned but the beginning has been very good and impressive," he added

Gavaskar, however, reserved praise for the Kiwi opponents as well calling out their fighting spirit.

"New Zealand didn't give up at all. They fought very well. There is plenty in this New Zealand side to like about and look forward to in the next two matches," concluded Gavaskar.