Is Ravi Ashwin an all-time great? VVS Laxman joins the debate

Former Indian batsman Sanjay Manjrekar’s comment on Ravi Ashwin not being ‘an all-time great yet’ has taken social media by storm with experts and former cricketers lending support to India’s premier spinner. Ashwin was also backed by his Tamil Nadu teammates Dinesh Karthik and Abhinav Mukund who lauded the efforts of the all-rounder with both bat and ball in the SENA – South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia countries.

While there was support pouring in for Ashwin, the man himself answered with a tweet and dropped a hilarious movie dialogue from a Tamil movie to end the debate once and for all. Now, cricketer-turned-commentator VVS Laxman too has given his verdict on Manjrekar’s comment.

“R Ashwin is a top-class off-spinner. There is no doubt he is one of the greats of the game. The way in which he has consistently won matches for India, not only but home, in the recent tour of Australia, is an example of his ability overseas. The way he restricted the run flow of the Australian batsmen, the way he set Steve Smith out and got him out quite consistently shows he is high on confidence,” VVS Laxman told Sports Today.

Ashwin doesn’t have a five-wicket haul in the SENA countries, he has picked up 63 wickets in 20 Tests and has contributed with the bat too on several occasions. He has a chance to silence his doubters in the six upcoming Tests in England which also includes the much-awaited ICC World Test Championship (WTC) Final.

Ravi Ashwin will look to continue his good form in the WTC Final

Undoubtedly, the off-spinner is skipper Virat Kohli’s go-to-bowler in crunch situations. Ashwin had an incredible (WTC) cycle till now, where he has picked 64 wickets. With the marquee clash against Blackcaps just three days away, the 34-year-old will look to end this amazing two-year cycle on a high.

The Ageas Bowl in Southampton, the venue for the grand finale, is keeping everyone guessing on how the pitch will behave. But irrespective of the conditions, Ashwin will give his heart out and aim to help Team India clinch the title.