Sachin Tendulkar wants to see Ashwin do well in foreign conditions

Ashwin took 72 wickets in 12 Tests and hit two centuries and four fifties in 2016 to end the year as the No 1 all-rounder in the world. 

In an exclusive interview with India Today, Tendulkar has hailed Ashwin by calling him a complete bowler, who always has control over the situations.

"In the last two years, Ashwin has changed completely as a bowler. He has become a complete bowler, who has control over the situation and how he wants to approach a spell is completely different," Tendulkar said during the launch of Boria Majumdar's Fanattic Sports Museum, India's first multi-sports museum which opened in Kolkata recently.

"Earlier, I thought he was experimenting too much but now he is a matured off-spinner. We need to see how he goes abroad and wins matches for India and I am sure the way he has been performing, he will be able to do so," Tendulkar added.

In the last one year or so, Indian lower middle-order batting has been a revelation. When the top-order batsmen have failed to get going, the tail-enders have taken the responsibility on their shoulders to pull India out of the woods.

"I think we have a very good team, a balanced side. The strength lies in our batters being able to bowl little bit and the bowlers being able to bat. If R Ashwin, who is batting at No.7 or No.8, has four Test hundreds, then we surely feel that we have enough strength in our batting. Then the bowlers, both him and Ravindra Jadeja, have done very well," said the batting maestro.

Tendulkar also said that the current Indian team is playing an aggressive brand of cricket thanks to the admirable consistency of Virat Kohli.

"We are playing aggressive cricket, attacking cricket and producing good results. It is not up to individuals. India as a team needs to play well. Of course you need a good leader, which I see in Virat Kohli. Obviously, his consistency in batting has been remarkable but you need team to win matches to bring back the crowds and we have been doing that," he said.