Ravichandran Ashwin : It's an honour when a legend compares you with the best

02/16/2017

Steve Waugh recently called Ravichandran Ashwin as the 'Bradman of bowling.' The ace spinner was delighted at the high praise from one of Australia's finest captains. Ashwin acknowledged it will be tough to live up to the accolade, but he would, as always, strive to give his best on the field.

During the West Indies series, Ashwin missed out on becoming the fastest bowler to 200 Test wickets due to rain. Nothing could stop him from claiming the record of the fastest bowler to 250 Test wickets during the recent one-off Test against Bangladesh. Ashwin, the top-ranked bowler and all-rounder in the ICC Test rankings, has been instrumental in India's success over the past few months.

"He is the Bradman of bowling. Ashwin is doing what the Don did with batting. Pretty incredible stuff, and he is a handy batsman too,” Waugh said at the Laureus Awards in Monaco.

Ashwin said he was honoured at Waugh's praise.

“It’s obviously a great honour when one legend of the game compares you with the best to have ever played the game. Steve Waugh is one captain I have admired over the years, and grew up watching him lead a near-invincible Australian side. He raised the bar for other skippers. This accolade will be hard to live up to but I will strive earnestly to ensure my performance graph is always high," the off-spinner told The Hindu.

Ashwin is currently preparing for the four-Test home series against Australia starting in Pune on Feb 23.