Cricket News

‘Don’t Want to Sound Too Humble…’- R Ashwin gives an interesting reply when asked about comparisons with Kapil Dev

India have had a dearth of one position in the world of cricket and that is the all-rounder. India have been continuously searching for one since Kapil Dev’s retirement, and the hunt continues. The Men in Blue have had persons who could have become great all-rounders, but nothing can match Kapil’s exploits.

When we look at the Test statistics Ravichandran Ashwin can be compared in the line of Kapil, even though his name does not crop up often. He has been a proven campaigner in the white flannels with game-changing performances with bat and ball. Kapil has taken 432 wickets in his career, whereas Ashwin has taken 449 wickets.

When it comes to runs in Tests Kapil has made 5248 runs and Ashwin has made 3043 runs. He has to score 2206 runs more to get to Kapil’s run tally. “I don’t want to sound too humble or too sceptical. But when you do something in your life, you want to be the best at what you want to do, right?” Ashwin told the Indian Express when he was asked about the comparison between the two all-rounders.

I really enjoy playing under pressure-  Ravichandran Ashwin

“Kapil Dev is not just a great Indian cricketer but is one of the greatest cricketers the world has seen. And if you take up the bat and the ball, I suggest, any child, any kid that is taking the ball or the bat today must be aspiring to be the best in the world. It doesn’t matter who’s done it in the past, you have to want to be the best in the world,” he added.

Ashwin has been putting in game-changing performances with ball and bat for India in Tests. In the recent two Test match series against Bangladesh, he made a match-winning 42 off 62 balls, with four fours and one six. He also has five Test hundreds with the bat which proves that he has great batting capabilities.

“When you play for India, expectations are going to be there. You’re bound to have expectations. But you can’t allow that to bog yourself down. You know, I am someone who lives for the big moments and pressure moments. So for me, anytime there is a big match, any time there’s a lot of pressure I really enjoy it. So, I’m looking forward to the pressure,” he opined. Ashwin has shown that he can bring out his best in pressure situations and has been a game changer, especially in the sub-continent for India.