Team India skipper Rohit Sharma feels Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is the all-time great player in his eyes. On Sunday, India defeated Sri Lanka in the first Test by an innings and 222 runs at the Punjab Cricket Association in Mohali.
Ashwin scalped a total of six wickets in the first Test as he went on to become the second-most Test wicket-taker of India after going past former Indian skipper Kapil Dev’s tally of 434 Test wickets.
Ravichandran Ashwin is India’s second most wicket-taker in Test cricket
Ashwin dismissed Sri Lanka opener Lahiru Thirimanne and all-rounder Dhananjaya de Silva in the first innings and got four wickets more in the second as India enforced the visitors to follow on. Ashwin claimed the wicket of Charith Asalanka as his 435th Test scalp to leapfrog Kapil Dev’s record.
The Indian off-spinner is now only behind Anil Kumble’s tally of 619 Test wickets in the leading wicket-takers list for Indian bowlers in the longest format.
Ravichandran Ashwin is an all-time great: Rohit Sharma
Rohit, who led the Indian team in his first Test as their captain, said Ashwin always believes in his own abilities. The Indian captain also said that the Tamil Nadu player is an all-time great in his opinion.
“He is an all-time great in my eyes. He is playing for so many years and performed for the country. So many match-winning performances, so for me, he is an all-time great. People might have a different point of view but from where I see, he is an all-time great for me,” Rohit said after India’s victory in the first Test on Sunday.
“When you grow up wanting to play Test cricket, you don’t dream about these things and so to surpass that is a big achievement on his behalf. You know, I have been watching Ashwin for a long time now and every time I watch him, he seems to get better and better.
“Ashwin is one such player who always has confidence is in his ability in what he wants to achieve and for the team as well,” he added.
Ashwin has picked 306 of his 436 Test wickets on Indian soil and holds the record of being the fastest bowler to pick 300 Test wickets in 54 matches.