Captain Rohit Sharma was wholesome in his praise for R. Ashwin, who became India’s second-highest wicket-taker in Tests, going past the legendary Kapil Dev’s 434.
“It’s a big thing in his cricketing career to achieve that feat.” Rohit said, after the match. “When you grow up wanting to play Tests, you don’t dream about such things. So, it’s a big achievement. I have been watching Ashwin for a long time. Every time I watch him, he seems to get better and better.”
“Ashwin is one of those players who is always confident in his ability, whatever he wants to achieve for himself and his team. He played a crucial innings with the bat in this Test and got a big partnership with [Ravindra] Jadeja. Every single time he gets better.”
In the recent past, Ashwin has found it difficult to be a part of the playing XI whenever the team management has decided to have only one spinner, especially overseas. This was largely because of the all-round package Jadeja was and not a referendum on Ashwin’s bowling skill.
Even when in the side, the presence of world-class bowlers means there are fewer chances to take truckloads of wickets. Regardless, Ashwin has managed to enter the list of world’s top-10 and is currently in ninth position with 436 wickets. Rohit strongly felt that the 35-year-old should be spoken about in the same breath as the all-time greats.
“In my view he is already an all-time great,” Rohit stated. “He has played for so long for India and has had a lot of match-winning performances. So, he is already an all-time great. Every person sees it differently and has a different perspective. But in my view, he is already up there.”
