‘R Ashwin is doing for India what Anil Kumble used to do’: Dinesh Karthik's ultimate praise for India great
India batter Dinesh Karthik was all praise for Ashwin for his all-round performance for Team India. Karthik even did a comparison between former India legend spinner Anil Kumble and Ashwin.
Player of the Match Ravichandran Ashwin snatched victory from the jaws of defeat as Team India won by three wickets in the second Test match against Bangladesh on Sunday. With the thrilling win, the visitors also clinched the series 2-0 and further consolidated their second position in the standings for World Test Championship(WTC) 2021 - 2023. Ashwin scalped six wickets and also scored a crucial 54 runs in the match.
Chasing a small target of 145 runs, Team India found themselves in a spot of bother when Axar Patel got out after his gritty innings of 34 off 69 balls and the scorecard read 74/7. It was then that Ashwin walked in to bat and he sitched a match-winning 71 runs partnership with Shreyas Iyer for the eighth wicket to help India win the Test match. In an interaction on Cricbuzz, India batter Dinesh Karthik was all praise for Ashwin for his all-round performance for Team India. Karthik even did a comparison between former India legend spinner Anil Kumble and Ashwin.
"He(Ashwin) is India's go-to man. I think in the previous decade, there have not been many series...one without Anil Kumble being part of the Indian team. That's what stats say and that is very true as well. India found really hard to win home series without him and that mantle has been taken over by Ashwin," said Karthik.
"Whenever he is not part of any series( I don't think he is not being part of any series) but he makes a major contribution in most of the series that's played in the sub-continent, he has a very decent away record as well. But let's talk about sub-continent at the moment because that is what India will be facing, to play Australia in India. He is the key man because Australia definitely....he(Ashwin) rather has a mental edge over Australia over a period of time and that needs to happen and come through for India to have a successful Test series against Australia. He is a terrific cricketer in this long format. He is somebody who handles pressure well. He knows how to get under the skin of an opposition. He's got so much going for him in this longer format," he added.
Team India are scheduled to host four-match Test series against Australia in February-March 2023.
