Ravichandran Ashwin is getting better and better , opines Shane Warne
Former Australia cricketer Shane Warne believes that Ravichandran Ashwin is getting better with each passing day and is hopeful that he will pick 1000 Test wickets in his career. Warne further added that Ashwin always tries to develop and explore different deliveries to deceive the batsman.
Ravichandran Ashwin has been a key spinner in the Indian team. He has been the frontline spinner for India especially in Test cricket. Ashwin has 430 wickets in 84 Test matches with a bowling average of 24.38. He also has seven 10 wickets haul in Test cricket. He has been performing well overseas and played a key part in the historic Test series win against Australia last year. Former Australia cricketer has praised Ashwin saying that he is improving with each day and has been fantastic.Â
"Ashwin is getting better and better. He has been fantastic. A true test of any cricketer is how they go away from home. Over a long period of time when you go to different countries and see how you perform overseas and then you end up having a record – both home and overseas, it gives you an idea as to how far you've come as a player. I am a big fan of Ashwin, the way he bowls. I think he is always trying to develop and explore different deliveries," Warne told Hindustan Times.
Nathan Lyon is another quality off -spinner in the cricket world currently. He has 415 wickets from 105 Tests to his name. Ashwin has a slightly better record than Lyon while bowling overseas. Also, he scalped 12 wickets in the last year’s Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Muttiah Muralitharan and Shane Warne are at the top in list of all-time highest wicket takers in Tests with 800 and 708 respectively. Ashwin and Lyon are only two active spinners in the top 15. Speaking on both of the spinners, Warne said that he is hopeful that both of them will get 1000 Test wickets.Â
"I hope both Ashwin and Lyon do (break Warne and Muralitharan's record), because the more we see quality spin bowlers bowling, it makes for more interesting cricket. I think when you watch a pace bowler bowl real fast and a batter trying to take them on and then you see a really good spinner and that battle between him and a spinner. And you see that battle evolve. If you can see those two things in Test cricket, I think it becomes more entertaining. So if we can have that, then I hope Ashwin takes 1000 Test wickets, Lyon takes 1000 Test wickets. That would be fantastic," he saidÂ
Warne also shared his insights on the duo of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav saying that they have lost their place in the squad as the duo of Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja has done better.Â
"I'm not sure they have declined. When you have Ashwin and Jadeja, two wonderful bowlers, it's very hard to get into the team. Kuldeep is a wonderful wrist-spinner, so is Chahal. But it's tough to get into the team when you've got Ashwin and Jadeja. So I don't think they've had a downfall or anything like that, or drop in form. I just think the other two are doing really well," he concluded.