R Ashwin or Harbhajan Singh? Gautam Gambhir picks the better spinner and reveals reason

Seasoned Indian off-spinner R Ashwin starred in India’s emphatic 10-wicket win over England at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The 34-year-old collected match figures of 7-74 and in doing so, breached the 400-wicket mark for India in Tests. R Ashwin is now one of only four Indian bowlers to achieve the milestone as he is only behind Harbhajan Singh (417 wickets), Kapil Dev (434 wickets) and Anil Kumble (619 wickets).

BCCI congratulates R Ashwin on reaching 400 Test wickets

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Gautam Gambhir gives his pick on ‘R Ashwin vs Harbhajan Singh’ debate

R Ashwin recently jumped four spots to achieve No. 3 ranking among ICC Test bowlers. Widely regarded as one of the greatest modern-day exponent of off-spin, Ashwin is also the highest ranked spinner in the ICC rankings.

On the other hand, veteran Harbhajan Singh carried India’s spin attack on his shoulders alongside Anil Kumble for many years. The last of his 103 Tests for India was played out in 2015 where he extended his Test wickets tally to 417. Apart from being India’s third leading wicket-taker in the format, Harbhajan was also India’s first-ever bowler to take a hat-trick.

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R Ashwin’s recent 400-wicket accomplishment has sparked a nationwide ‘R Ashwin vs Harbhajan Singh’ debate among fans and purists of the sport. Former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir recently joined in the discussion while interacting with ESPNCricinfo. Gambhir, who has played alongside both elite spinners, rated Harbhajan Singh higher of the two when he was at his peak.

Gautam Gambhir said that Harbhajan Singh had the advantage of bowling a doosra, something a finger-spinner like Ashwin is not allowed to. Gambhir admitted that Ashwin has more variations between the two, but he would still pick Harbhajan as his primary bowler. The former India opener feels that Harbhajan did not the DRS to contend with back then and also had relatively lesser spin-friendly pitches to bowl on, which made it tougher for him to excel. However, the former opening batsman also praised India’s active spinner R Ashwin, describing him as the “best off-spinner in the world at the moment”.

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R Ashwin Test wickets

Through the course of the recently-concluded match, R Ashwin also achieved another major landmark in Test cricket. He became the second-fastest bowler in Test history to get to 400 wickets behind Sri Lankan legend Muttiah Muralitharan. As of now, the R Ashwin Test wickets tally composes of 401 wickets in 77 matches at an impressive average of 24.95.

R Ashwin speaks after historic accomplishment: watch video

India vs England 4th Test 2021

The India vs England 4th Test match is scheduled to commence from March 4 onwards at the same venue. The hosts are currently leading the series 2-1. A win or a draw in the upcoming game will guarantee them a spot in the final of the ICC World Test Championship.

Indian players train ahead of India vs England 4th Test 2021, watch video

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Image source: BCCI Twitter and PTI