Joe Root Explained The Big Difference Between Nathan Lyon And R Ashwin

England cricketer Joe Root highlighted the contrast between Nathan Lyon and Ravichandran Ashwin, acknowledging them as the top spinners of their era.

In the world of cricket, only two spinners among active players have reached the milestone of 500 Test wickets: Nathan Lyon and Ravichandran Ashwin. Lyon accomplished this feat in December last year during a Test match against Pakistan in Perth, while Ashwin joined the elite club just last month during a Test against England in Rajkot.

Joe Root Explained The Big Difference Between Nathan Lyon And R Ashwin

Both Lyon and Ashwin have been the main spin bowlers for their respective teams in Test matches for more than ten years. Lyon has taken 527 wickets in 128 Test matches. In a recent match against New Zealand, Lyon once again showcased his bowling prowess by taking 10 wickets, leading Australia to a resounding 10-wicket victory in Wellington.

Meanwhile, Ashwin has claimed 507 wickets in 99 Test matches. He holds the record for being the fastest Indian bowler to reach 500 Test wickets. Overall, he is the second-fastest bowler to achieve this milestone, with only Sri Lankan legend Muttiah Muralitharan ahead of him. Additionally, Ashwin holds the record for the most Test wickets by a bowler in India.

𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙇𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙠 𝙈𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩! 👏 👏

Take A Bow, R Ashwin 🙌 🙌

Follow the match ▶️ https://t.co/FM0hVG5pje#TeamIndia | #INDvENG | @ashwinravi99 | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/XOAfL0lYmA

— BCCI (@BCCI) February 16, 2024

Joe Root has faced both Lyon and Ashwin for more than ten years. He recently highlighted the key differences between the two star spinners. Root explained that Ashwin is skilled at luring batsmen out of their crease to exploit both edges of the bat, whereas Lyon prefers to trouble batsmen with the bounce of the ball.

Speaking on the Sky Sports Podcast, Joe Root said: “I’d say, Ashwin is making sure that you don’t play the previous ball. He is very good at trying to drag you across the crease and get your head to one side of it and beat both edges quite frequently,”

He added: “With Lyon it is all about, I think, especially in the first half of the Test to get over the top of the ball, get bounce bowl in between you like the knee roll and hit and try to bring short leg and leg slip into the game as much as he can and then just slowly, get slower with his pace and drift wider into that.”

“Whereas Ashwin is probably slightly trying to find ways of getting you out rather than trying to wear you down, over long periods of time. That’s how I’ve always tried to approach them. By trying, trying to be clear, right, because that’s how they’re generally gonna operate,”

Joe Root and Ashwin will face each other later this week during the fifth Test match between India and England. The match is set to begin on March 7 in Dharamsala.