'I hope he takes 1000 wickets': Warne's huge praise for 'fantastic' India bowler, says 'he is getting better and better'
The legendary Shane Warne is highly impressed with India bowler's work acumen and hopes he goes on to pick up 1000 Test wickets for his team.
Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan. The two greatest spinners of all time sit atop in the list of world's leading wicket-takers with 709 and 800 respectively. For the longest time, the possibility of breaching that mark seemed unlikely. And to be honest, it still does to an extent. Jimmy Anderson, with 640 wickets and the third-highest wicket-taker, is on the final leg of a storied international career. Stuart Broad isn't far behind. The only two active players in the top 15 are spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Nathan Lyon with 430 and 415 wickets, and although both are in their mid-30s, this duo is the only one that stands a chance to come close to Warne and Murali's magnanimous feats.
The battle of two modern-day greats is a phrase that has often been used to describe many a rivalry, but mostly for batters. In the 1990s, it was Tendulkar vs Lara. In the 2000s, it was Sehwag vs Hayden. Today however, individual battles have transcended beyond batsmanship. Move on from the Fab Five. Ashwin vs Lyon is full-on theatrics. Look no further than Ash's footwork against Gazza in the famous drawn Sydney Test from last year and you'll realise that neither likes giving the slightest inch to the other.
However, off the field, it's a different story altogether. Both spinners are high on praise for their counterpart. Having said that, no amount of mutual respect can douse the competitive fire residing in their bellies. And it is because of this very intensity that fans, time and again, can't help but debate as to who between the two would be the first to surpass either Warne or Muralitharan. Ashwin vs Lyon is a comparison that is surely understated and doesn't get the attention it deserves, and weighing in on the same, the legendary Warne states that there is nothing he would want more than to see both behemoths reach the pinnacle.
"I hope both Ashwin and Lyon do (break Warne and Muralitharan's record), because the more we see quality spin bowlers bowling, it makes for more interesting cricket. I think when you watch a pace bowler bowl real fast and a batter trying to take them on and then you see a really good spinner and that battle between him and a spinner. And you see that battle evolve. If you can see those two things in Test cricket, I think it becomes more entertaining. So if we can have that, then I hope Ashwin takes 1000 Test wickets, Lyon takes 1000 Test wickets. That would be fantastic," Warne told Hindustan Times in an interview arranged by BookMyShow stream, the platform which premiers the Australian great's much-awaited documentary film 'Shane'.
In terms of their performances overseas, Ashwin holds the edge over his Aussie counterpart. During last year's Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Ashwin grabbed 12 wickets and had the wood over Steve Smith. He may not have gotten a single game in England last year, and might have perhaps sat out the South Africa Tests as well had Ravindra Jadeja been fit, but that hasn't stopped Warne's admiration towards the efforts and hard yards Ashwin puts in.
"Ashwin is getting better and better. He has been fantastic. A true test of any cricketer is how they go away from home. Over a long period of time when you go to different countries and see how you perform overseas and then you end up having a record – both home and overseas, it gives you an idea as to how far you've come as a player. I am a big fan of Ashwin, the way he bowls. I think he is always trying to develop and explore different deliveries," he mentioned.
Ashwin and Jadeja aren't the only two Indian spinners Warne touched upon. The once-threatening but currently fading duo of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav is a topic the Australian legend shared his insights on. About four years ago, 'Kul-Cha' had sidelined Ashwin and Jadeja out of the XI as India's two most prolific spinners in limited-overs internationals. In fact, when India had famously beaten South Africa 5-1 four years ago, Kuldeep and Chahal had accounted for 33 wickets.
Today, both find themselves at the crossroads of their careers. While Kuldeep has kind of vanished entirely, Chahal is lacking the same spark. And funnily enough, Ashwin has made a comeback into the limited-over fold, while Jadeja has emerged to become arguably the world's best all-rounder after Ben Stokes. But the decline of Kuldeep and Chahal is a notion Warne doesn't buy. The former leg-spinner reckons 'Kul-Cha's' return into contention has gotten tougher because Ashwin and Jadeja haven't given selectors reasons to leave them out.
"I'm not sure they have declined. When you have Ashwin and Jadeja, two wonderful bowlers, it's very hard to get into the team. Kuldeep is a wonderful wrist-spinner, so is Chahal. But it's tough to get into the team when you've got Ashwin and Jadeja. So I don't think they've had a downfall or anything like that, or drop in form. I just think the other two are doing really well," explained Warne.
