Ravichandran Ashwin capped off a great Test Match at his home ground Chepauk, on Saturday, shinning with bat and ball.
With 37-five wicket hauls, he went past Australian counterpart Nathan Lyon for the most fifers in Test cricket. He is now tied with the late Shane Warne for joint second-most five-wicket hauls in Tests.
Former England spinner Monty Panesar, reckons that this stat aside, Lyon scores above Ashwin in the best spinner sweepstakes.
Panesar believes Lyon is a better bowler than Ashwin because of the dominance he has imposed in Australia, where spinners struggle to find assistance from the pitch.
“I think I see Nathan Lyon in my opinion. Yes, he is a better bowler. But I think Ashwin is a better bowler in India,” Monty Panesar told ANI in an exclusive telephonic interview.
Both experienced spinners have made a reputation for their incredible craftsmanship with the ball. Lyon has 530 Test wickets from 129 matches with an average of 30.28 while Ashwin has 522 Test wickets from a 101 matches at an average of 23.70.
Ashwin, 38, is ageing like a fine wine as he continues to walk into the twilight of his career. The seasoned off-spinner who has an array of skills in his arsenal, showed his potential to contribute with the bat in the opening Test against Bangladesh in Chennai.
In a dire situation, Ashwin lifted the spirits of the Indian team in front of his home crowd with a splendid 113 (133) in the first innings. On Day 3 and 4, when the surface started to assist the spinners offering extra bounce and turn, Ashwin claimed a six-wicket haul while giving away 88 runs in his 21-over spell during India’s emphatic 280-run victory.
