Ravichandran Ashwin joins 500-wicket club, delighting legend Anil Kumble, who said the off-spinner’s achievements in the last decade His great success stems from his desire to learn and his ability to overcome constant challenges. Ashwin currently has 516 wickets and is India’s second-highest wicket-taker in Tests after Kumble (619), a move that does not surprise the former India leg-spinner.
“Ashwin has faced as many challenges. He has not allowed a single challenge to check his progress. He has been an outstanding match-winner for the national team for over a decade and the consistency he has shown is a Great logo.
“It requires complete dedication to the cause,” Kumble said at a function organized by the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association to celebrate Ashwin completing 100 Tests and 500 wickets.
Kumble said Ashwin has been able to meet the huge expectations that the Indian fans have been demanding from him.
“In India, once you raise the bar to a certain level, it’s not easy to continue performing. The expectations in every game are too high. Anything less than five wickets is considered a failure. It’s not fair to the players involved though, Ashwin has done a very good job in that regard,” Kumble said.
But Kamble believes these numbers are the result of Ashwin’s dedicated work both on and off the field.
“His numbers have been outstanding. There’s no fun in stacking wickets if it doesn’t help the team win. He has been overwhelmingly correlated with his and India’s success. He rarely settles for being very good or even great. Everybody “Today he wanted to do better than the day before. That’s the sign of a great learner,” he said.
Kamble also praised Ashwin for his in-depth knowledge of the game, especially the opponent’s game.
“We worked together for a year when I was the India coach and his thorough preparation and in-depth knowledge of the opposition players was a revelation.
You can see how he sets up the ball, how fast he bowls it and from what angles,” the Bengaluru man said.
The 53-year-old said Ashwin has added a lot of value to the team apart from his bowling.
“Apart from his bowling, his batting and input on the field also added a lot of value. In white-ball cricket, he never shied away from trying and even bowled leg-spin. Considering he has such A lot of belief, it’s not surprising. He himself has this idea and I believe this will continue for a long time,” he detailed.
Kamble has also followed a similar career path for himself and Ashwin.
“Many experts feel that Ashwin and I have a lot of similarities in their careers. We have several common threads that unite us. We put pressure on batsmen, close fielders, standing umpires and in Ash In the case of Win, the non-striker and sometimes the third referee,” he added.
Kamble started out as a medium pacer before local cricketer Yousef Motorwala turned him into a leg-spinner. Likewise, Ashwin always wanted to be a top-order batsman before he started spinning the ball.
“Neither of us initially aspired to be spinners. I wanted to be a fast bowler and Ashwin aimed to be a top-order batsman. But these factors conspired to propel us into a great adventure journey, and that’s how I became a leg-spinner and Ashwin became a non-leg-spinner.
“So, welcome to the 500-wicket club. Congratulations Ash. You have become part of a very special club and it’s great to have an Indian spinner by your side,” he concluded.
Ashwin advances our understanding of forward spin: Dravid
India head coach Rahul Dravid said Ashwin changed the face of spin bowling in India.
“I have been thinking about the legacy that a guy like Ashwin will leave after he retires. I believe he is not done for a long time and there is more to come.”
“Just thinking about spin bowling, he has pushed forward our understanding and knowledge of spin bowling and that is a great legacy. He took the art and science of spin bowling to a better place,” Dravid said.
The former India captain said Ashwin will be an inspiration for the emerging players.
“He was always eager to contribute to the team’s success, be it with the bat or the ball, on or off the field. You inspired an entire generation of young spinners,” he said.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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