Ravichandran Ashwin, Steve Smith
Ravichandran Ashwin, Steve Smith ( Image Source - Twitter)

Former England captain-turned pundit Michael Atherton is mighty impressed with Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin following the latter’s brilliant exploits in the ongoing Test series.

Ravichandran Ashwin has impinged himself as one of the greatest bowlers India has ever produced in its storied history. The Tamil Nadu off-spinner is currently in the midst of a purple patch, similar to the one he enjoyed back in the 2016-17 season.

Ashwin was one of India’s prime wrecker-in-chief during their triumphant tour of Australia where he had legendary batsman Steve Smith on toast throughout the series.

The off-spinner continued his form on his return to home conditions and is proving more than a handful for the English batting-unit in favorable conditions.

Ravichandran Ashwin, Michael Atherton
Ravichandran Ashwin and his teammates appeal [Image Credits: BCCI]
England were mauled inside two days in the last Test in Ahmedabad and while the chief destroyer was Axar Patel, who claimed as many as 11 wickets across two innings, Ashwin stood out for the manner in which he dismissed Ollie Pope in both innings.

The legendary off-spinner dismissed Pope with straight deliveries in both innings, leaving Michael Atherton highly impressed.

Atherton, in his column for the Times, wrote that there is no shame for England to be beaten by one of the greatest off-spinners in history.

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The former opener added that while world cricket has seen many great off-spinners, Ravichandran Ashwin remains unmatched when it comes to a bag of variations that he has at his disposal.

Ollie Pope of England (BCCI)
Ollie Pope (Image-BCCI)

Atherton added that what makes Ashwin so good is his ability to bowl straighter ones on turning tracks.

“It is no shame to be beaten by Ashwin in these conditions. The off-spinner is one of the greatest to have played the game, with a breadth of variations that has rarely been matched. His ability to bowl a straight ball in extreme spinning conditions makes him stand out.” wrote Michael Atherton

During the Ahmedabad Test, Ravichandran Ashwin added another feather to his already illustrious cap as he became the second-fastest bowler in the history of the game to claim 400 wickets.

As far as the ongoing series is concerned, Ashwin has proved to be a thorn in English flesh with both bat and ball. In 3 matches thus far, Ravichandran Ashwin has claimed 24 wickets at an average of 15.71 besides scoring 176 runs in 5 innings including a hundred at an average of 35.20.

Also Read: Gautam Gambhir Names India’s Best Off-Spinner Between Harbhajan Singh And Ravichandran Ashwin

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