India’s ace spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is currently dominating the cricketing world with his off-spin bowling. He, recently, breached the 400-wicket landmark in Test cricket against England in March. And several former cricketers are rating him as the best spinner among the current crop, ahead of Australian offie Nathan Lyon.
Former Australian captain Ian Chappell backed Ashwin as a better bowler than Nathan Lyon. Now, former Pakistan skipper Salman Butt opined about Ashwin’s greatness in Test cricket.
Also Read: Ian Chappell calls Ashwin better than Lyon
Lyon is 1 short of 400 wickets from 100 Tests while Ashwin already has 409 scalps from just 78 Tests and is also the highest wicket-taker in international cricket (all 3 formats combined) since his debut in 2010.
“I agree with him. If you compare the two, both have a great line and length. But when it comes to variations, Ravichandran Ashwin is better. If you have to pick one and look at their utilities I will pick Ashwin. He bats, plays in all three formats and always does well.
“Even his action is a little hard to pick, while Nathan Lyon’s action is basic. I wouldn’t say there is a huge difference between the two, but Ashwin has the edge for me,” Butt said on his YouTube channel.
Ashwin is India’s premium spinner in red-ball cricket. His last white-ball game for India came against West Indies just after Champions Trophy 2017. The CT final debacle forced Indian team management to look for more effective spinners. Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav’s success further deprived Ashwin of making his limited-overs comeback.
Also Read: Ravichandran Ashwin feels sorry for Ollie Robinson after his suspension
“Ashwin uses angles and the crease well and uses his fingers like Ajantha Mendis. He has been a top performer in all three formats of the game. Ravichandran Ashwin has done well in the IPL too, and there is a stark difference between Nathan Lyon and Ravichandran Ashwin,” Butt further added.
“I have to agree with Chappell. Nathan Lyon is a wonderful bowler as well. But if you compare the two, if I was the captain, I would pick Ashwin. He bats as well.”
Ashwin is expected to turn up for India during the upcoming World Test Championship Final against New Zealand in Southampton, scheduled to begin on June 18.
