Ravichandran Ashwin and India’s World Cup-winning skipper Kapil Dev, according to Dinesh Karthik, should be mentioned together. They are two of the best Indian all-rounders, according to the wicketkeeper-batter, and they deserve the same respect.
Karthik’s comments came on the fourth day of India’s first Test against New Zealand, which is currently underway in Kanpur. With a 62-ball 32, Ashwin injected purpose into the hosts’ sluggish second innings. Before stumps, he bowled New Zealand opener Will Young to become India’s joint-third most successful Test bowler with 417 scalps.
“Obvioulsy, I don’t think I am in a place to judge both of them. But I must admit that they should be spoken of in the same breath. When it comes to Indian cricket because both of them have been match-winners. It have been exemplary and have been definitely the two best all-rounders to have come out of this soil for a long, long time.” he said
Karthik, who has played with and carefully observed Ashwin, believes that the latter is one of India’s top all-rounders. The former captain of the Kolkata Knight Riders
“You have to put him there (among India’s best all-rounders) with the number of Man of the Series he has won. The accolades he has got obviously.” he said
“Getting 417 wickets in 80 Tests is an unbelievable record to have and the fact that he’s contributed and scored five hundreds much more than a lot of the batters who play for a longer period of time in Test matches. There are people who have played 30-35 Tests, and still haven’t managed five hundreds.” he added
Anil Kumble
In Test cricket, Ashwin is now only a few wickets behind Anil Kumble (619) and Kapil Dev (434) on the list of India’s highest wicket-takers. Dev scored 5238 runs at an average of 31.05 in 131 Tests, including eight tons, throughout his storied career. While not as flashy, Ashwin isn’t far behind, having scored 2685 runs in 80 Tests.
Kapil Dev was also a fantastic ODI all-rounder, with his fast-bowling being regarded as among the greatest in the world in the 1980s and 1990s. In all formats, Ashwin’s off-spin is as excellent as, if not better than, his leg-spin, but he hasn’t had the same batting impact in ODIs and T20Is.
Ravichandran Ashwin’s aim and ‘great game plan’ in his cameo in Kanpur were also praised by Dinesh Karthik. Who called it a ‘important innings’ in the context of the game.
Read more: Dinesh Karthik says “It’s nice to see someone with old legs showing up and pushing folks around”
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