Ravichandran Ashwin has been one of the most loyal servants of Indian cricket for over a decade. During his time with the national team, he was a name synonymous to stability and reliability in the squad. However, the veteran off-spinner’s glorious career is well respected not just amongst stalwarts of Indian cricket but also from legends across the globe. One such giant of international cricket is Muttiah Muralitharan, who recently expressed his interesting take on the glorious career of Ashwin.
Muralitharan reminisces fond memories of Ashwin’s career
The legendary Sri-Lankan off spinner in an interview to Telecom Asia Sport (telecomasia.net) was asked about Ashwin announcing his retirement from international cricket after the Gabba Test of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Remembering the times when he first saw Ashwin as a young spin bowler trying to make his mark, Muralitharan said, “I was at the tail end of my career when he came onto the scene but he struck me as an astute young man eager to learn. He sought advice, asked thoughtful questions, and put in hard work to better himself. That drive and hunger are what set him apart.”
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Additionally, Muralitharan also talked about the beginning of Ashwin’s career, when he was trying his luck as a batter, the legend further remarked, “You must remember that Ashwin started his career as a batsman, dabbling in spin as a part-time option. He soon realised the writing was on the wall for his batting aspirations and shifted his focus to bowling. Hats off to him for making that bold pivot and achieving what he has. Reaching 500 Test wickets is no walk in the park.”
Muralitharan has been a towering figure in international cricket as the only player with 800 wickets in Test Cricket. The Sri Lankan off-spinner managed to achieve milestone in just 133 Test matches.
A look at Ashwin’s impressive stats in international cricket
When it comes to statistics, Ashwin is one of the most successful Indian to have ever played the game. The Chennai-lad managed to take 537 wickets in Tests, 156 wickets in ODIs and 72 wickets in the T20I format. This makes him the second leading Indian wicket-taker in Test cricket, second only to Anil Kumble. Ashwin has also been instrumental with the bat scoring 3503 Test runs with 6 centuries.