India cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar praised R Ashwin for reaching the milestone of 500 wickets. Gavaskar believes Ashwin deserved to be made captain of the Test team two years ago. Ashwin achieved this feat by becoming the second Indian bowler, after Anil Kumble, to take 500 wickets in Tests. He accomplished this by dismissing England opener Zak Crawley in their first innings during the recent match.
Sunil Gavaskar Hailed R Ashwin
Gavaskar believes Ashwin’s outstanding performance on the field makes him suitable for captaincy. He thinks that two years ago would have been the perfect time to make him captain. India has been using different teams lately, especially in 2021, with senior players in England and younger ones in Sri Lanka under Rahul Dravid’s guidance. Gavaskar finds the thought of Ashwin as captain intriguing due to these changes.
“Congratulations to Ravichandran Ashwin on capturing his 500th Test wicket. What a tremendous cricketer he has been. One of the finest thinkers in the game and always willing to try something new and different, be it a run-up, delivery action and of course, deliveries to bamboozle the batter,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for Mid-Day.
He added: “He should have been honoured with the India captaincy a couple of years back when there were two India teams playing around the same time. Well done, Ashwin, and wish you many more wickets, newer deliveries and different actions in the future.”
After India’s massive 434-run victory over England, Ashwin’s joy was marred by a family emergency. Just hours after joining the 500-wicket club, he had to rush to Chennai for a medical issue concerning his mother. Despite the ordeal, Ashwin returned within 48 hours and resumed playing. He even took a wicket in England’s second innings, helping India secure a dominant win.
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