India recently won a two-match Test series against New Zealand and players like Shreyas Iyer and Mayank Agarwal stood out with the bat, while R Ashwin and Axar Patel were the picks of the bowlers. Ashwin was very impressive in the series with 14 wickets from two Tests, while also making crucial batting contributions in the series opener in Kanpur, which helped him to the ninth Player of the Series award in his Test career.

R Ashwin also achieved a few landmarks in the series as well, as he became India’s third-highest wicket-taker in Test cricket, surpassing Harbhajan Singh, while also completing 50-plus wickets in 2021. Meanwhile, BCCI president Sourav Ganguly lauded Ashwin saying that one doesn’t need rocket science to judge the off-spinner’s talent.

During a chat on the show ‘Backstage with Boria’, Sourav Ganguly said, “Look at Rahul Dravid’s statement after the (Kanpur) Test match – he called him an all-time great and one of the biggest match-winners. You don’t need rocket science to judge Ashwin’s talent. My appreciation just comes from what I see. It may be Ashwin, it may be (Shreyas) Iyer, it may be Rohit (Sharma), it may be Virat (Kohli). And I just say what I see. There is nothing more to it.”

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R Ashwin was a part of India’s 2011 ODI World Cup and 2013 Champions Trophy-winning teams, finishing with eight wickets from five games in the 2013 competition. Sourav Ganguly opined that Ashwin is an all-format player, who has got the skills to bowl in powerplays and difficult situations for his team.

Elaborating the same, Sourav Ganguly said, “I don’t see a reason why (I shouldn’t back him). Look at the number of winning teams he has been a part of. 2011 World Cup, he was part of the winning team for India. 2013, when he won the Champions Trophy, he was a leading bowler in that tournament. When CSK won IPLs, he was the main bowler for them, bowling in the powerplay and difficult situations.”

Ashwin has scalped as many as 427 wickets from 81 Test matches with a bowling average of 24.12. Ganguly reckoned that the Tamil Nadu-born cricketer is exceptional in the longest format of the game. 

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Oncluding the same, Sourav Ganguly said, “Look at his Test record, it is phenomenal. It does not need me to say Ravichandran Ashwin is exceptional. His record and his performances show it. And you can’t ignore such players. You cannot just turn your eyes and say that he’s gone. I am not surprised with what he is doing.”