India coach Rahul Dravid on Monday was praise for veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin not just for his "phenomenal achievement", but also talked hailed the manner in which the offie has grown and evolved over the course of his career to become the maestro that he is.
Ashwin dismissed Tom Latham on the final afternoon in the Kanpur opener against New Zealand to surpass Harbhajan Singh's 417-wicket tally and become India's third-highest wicket-taker in Tests after the legendary Anil Kumble and Kapil Dev.
Dravid admitted that while his former teammate Harbhajan was a "fine bowler", Ashwin's ability to match his feat in such a short span is "phenomenal".
"I think it's a phenomenal achievement. I think you know Harbhajan Singh was a really fine bowler, someone I played a lot of cricket with; terrific bowler for India and what Ashwin has done, to be able to go past him in just 80 Test matches is a phenomenal achievement," Dravid said at the post-match media conference.
Kumble stands top of the table with 619 wickets while aformer all-rounder Kapil stands second with 434 wickets. Ashwin, who also dismissed Tom Blundell in the final session of the Test match, now has 419 wickets to his name.
Dravid added, "Ashwin is one of those guys who has been an absolute match-winner for India, even today you saw on this difficult wicket. The way he pulled us back into the game on that third morning, with that spell of 11 overs, was absolutely phenomenal.
{{/usCountry}}Dravid added, "Ashwin is one of those guys who has been an absolute match-winner for India, even today you saw on this difficult wicket. The way he pulled us back into the game on that third morning, with that spell of 11 overs, was absolutely phenomenal.
{{/usCountry}}"And then today just to keep us alive in the game, constantly be threatening on wickets like this is a tribute to his skills and ability."
Dravid also spoke about how Ashwin evolved over the years to become a champion bowler.
"He has just evolved, he has just kept growing. He is one of those guys who keeps thinking about the game, keeps changing, keeps evolving, that's why he (has) got where he has.
"You don't achieve what Ashwin has achieved without growing and improving and evolving. It is a pleasure to have someone like him in the dressing room and to work (with). I am really happy for him," signed off Dravid, one of India's greatest batters.