Former Indian cricketer and current commentator Sanjay Manjrekar has an interesting rationale behind why he thinks all-rounder Ravi Ashwin is not the best cricketer to wear the Indian cap.
Ashwin is the fourth-highest wicket-taker for India in Test cricket. He has picked 409 wickets, 30 fifers and seven ten-wicket hauls. Currently, he is world No.2 in the ICC Test rankings for bowlers. Despite having such stunning numbers, he hasn’t made it to Manjrekar’s list of one of the greatest players to brace the sport.
He believes that rating Ashwin so highly is odd when the spinner has no five-wicket haul in SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia) countries.
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While Speaking on ESPNCricnfo’s YouTube channel, Manjrekar said: “It’s amazing that he doesn’t have a single five-wicket haul. Not one five-wicket haul in all these countries.”
The Indian commentator explained that left-arm spinner Axar Patel got more wickets than Ashwin in the recent India-England Test series at home in such conditions that suit Ashwin the most.
“Then, interestingly, in the last series against England, Axar Patel got more wickets than Ashwin on similar pitches. So that is my problem with accepting Ashwin as a real all-time great,” Manjrekar said, adding Jadeja has matched Ashwin with wicket-taking abilities in the last four years.