'If R Ashwin was English, then they would have told him to retire': Monty Panesar's bold take on 38-year-old IND star
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Ravichandran Ashwin has, time and again, proved himself to be one of the most valuable players in India's red-ball setup. The veteran all-rounder displayed his batting prowess in the Chennai Test when things were slipping away from India's reach. He stood tall in front of the home crowd and slammed a magnificent century to rescue India from a tricky situation alongside Ravindra Jadeja, who is also his spin-bowling partner for years now.
He also spun his web in the second innings and claimed six wickets to equal Shane Warne's tally of five-wicket hauls in Test cricket - 37. The ace Indian star is just behind Muttiah Muralitharan (67) in the tally.
Despite Ashwin's impeccable red-ball record, Monty Panesar asserted that he won't fit into England's current Test Cricket set-up. He claimed that England's need for experimentation won't open up space for the 38-year-old in the Three Lions set-up.
"They experiment more. If Ashwin was English right now, then they would have told him to retire because they want to bring youngsters who have the potential to play. But I think England experiments more, and they like to experiment," Panesar told IANS.
Ashwin has an incredible bowling record against England in Tests, scoring 114 scalps in 24 matches and 1086 runs, including a century.
‘Nathan Lyon is a better bowler than R Ashwin’
The Indian star is the second-highest wicket-taker in Tests among active cricketers—522, just behind Nathan Lyon (530), his biggest rival for more than a decade now.
Panesar believes Lyon is a better bowler than Ashwin because of the dominance he has imposed in Australia, where spinners struggle to find assistance from the pitch. However, considering Ashwin's prowess in Asian conditions, Monty labelled the 38-year-old as a better bowler on India's surface.
"I think I see Nathan Lyon in my opinion. Yes, he is a better bowler. But I think Ashwin is a better bowler in India. I think he thinks like a batter when he bowls. He is able to pick out the weakness and he can exploit it, and that is his biggest advantage. He bats really well when he bowls; he knows what the batters are thinking," Panesar added.
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