Published 20:35 IST, February 15th 2021
Gambhir labels Ashwin as 'India's greatest match winner' after Kumble, lauds centurion
Rubbishing the talks of 'unplayable' Chepauk pitch, gautam Gambhir said that Ravichandran Ashwin has shown how to play with the ball and bat as well.
Lauding Ravichandran Ashwin's Test century on Monday against England, former cricketer Gautam Gambhir termed the bowling all-rounder as 'India's greatest match-winner' after former captain Anil Kumble. Rubbishing the talks of 'unplayable' Chepauk pitch, Gambhir said that Ashwin has shown how to play with the ball and bat as well. Ashwin's 106 in the 2nd innings guided India's total to 286 setting a daunting target of 482 runs for England to win.
"He always had the talent. You can’t get five Test hundreds if you don’t have the talent and what feeling than getting it at your home where you’ve actually grown up. On a wicket like this where you’ve already taken a five-for and then you go on and get a hundred, which no other batter has done till now, what a feeling," Gambhir said on Star Sports.
5-for first, century next
Apart from scoring a century, Ashwin also registered his 29th five-for in the first innings as India rattled England for merely 134. The Chennai-lad then returned to pick the wicket of Rory Burns inching closer to 400 Test wickets. The veteran offie now has 392 scalps in his bag. Highlighting his contributions, Gambhir added that Ashwin often goes unnoticed under the shadow of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah.
"Anil Kumble had one Test hundred and 619 wickets. He’s probably the greatest match winner India’s ever had but after him, the greatest match winner India’s ever had, it’s R Ashwin," the former India cricketer added.
Ashwin mutes noise over Chepauk pitch
Downplaying the uproar over the turning pitch at the Chepauk in the second India-England Test, Ravichandran Ashwin mentioned he is unsure whether the England players have any complaints about the pitch and that it is quite natural for people to come up against adverse conditions and then be taken aback by it.
"I don't know if they have complaints. If they do, it's quite natural for people to come up against adverse conditions and then be taken aback by it. In all honesty, in the 7 days of Test cricket we have played s far, England have played really well, competed really well. But time and again, there are conditions which will challenge you, be it spin or be it seam," the veteran offie said. Earlier on Sunday, former English cricketers Michael Vaughan and Kevin Pietersen had blamed the dusty pitch at the Chepuak as the reason behind England's crumbling batting unit with the visitors being bundled out for merely 134.
Updated 20:35 IST, February 15th 2021