Ravichandran Ashwin And Kapil Dev Should Be Spoken Of In The Same Breath When It Comes To Indian Cricket - Dinesh Karthik

Senior cricketer and renowned commentator Dinesh Karthik heaped rich praises on star India all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin, saying that the off-spinner could be talked along the lines of legendary Kapil Dev.

Ashwin helped India back in the game in the ongoing Kanpur Test versus New Zealand with both bat and ball. He registered scores of 38 and 32 – two crucial knocks on a tricky pitch – and bagged a 3-wicket haul in New Zealand’s first innings. Ashwin capped off Day 4 with the wicket of Kiwi opener Will Young.

Young’s wicket also took Ashwin’s tally to 417, becoming the joint third-highest wicket-taker for India in Test cricket, equalling Harbhajan Singh. Only Anil Kumble with 619 wickets and Kapil Dev with 434 wickets are the two Indians ahead of Ashwin on the wicket charts.

Dinesh Karthik lauded his Tamil Nadu teammate for his success over the years.

“Obviously, 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, have been exemplary, and have been definitely the two best all-rounders to have come out of this soil for a long, long time,” Dinesh Karthik said on Cricbuzz.

Ashwin’s has an unbelievable record: Dinesh Karthik

Ashwin has taken 417 wickets in 150 innings, while Harbhajan did it in 190 Test innings. The bowling average of the Tamil Nadu off-spinner, 24.52, is also much better than Harbhajan’s 32.46.

There is also the addition of his 5 Test centuries as well. His all-rounder performance have helped Ashwin win 8 Man of the Series awards in Tests; only two players – Jacques Kallis and Muttiah Muralitharan – have more.

Dinesh Karthik remains astonished with Ashwin’s numbers in the longest form of the game.

“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. 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,” the KKR cricketer added.

India need to take 9 Kiwi wickets on the last day in Kanpur to take a 1-0 lead in the series.

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