Saqlain Mushtaq lavish praises on Ravi Ashwin

Ravi Ashwin picked for Asia Cup 2022 (PC: Twitter)

Pakistan’s head coach Saqlain Mushtaq is a big fan of India’s veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin. Recently, the former cricketer lavished praises on him for belonging to a rare breed of bowlers who can keep a check on the flow of runs along with picking wickets at a regular interval.

Saqlain also seemed elated with Ashwin’s comeback in the Indian team and credited the head coach Rahul Dravid and skipper Rohit Sharma for the same. Since his debut in 2010, the spinner formed a crucial part of India’s white-ball plans.

However, following the loss in the 2017 Champions Trophy, Ashwin was dropped from the team. The Men in Blue decided to go with the wrist spinners instead of finger spinners. Thus, he was shown the door. However, the veteran’s exceptional performances in the Indian Premier League forced the selectors to look at him again.

Mushtaq happy with Ashwin’s comeback

Last year, the spinner made a comeback to the Indian team for the T20 World Cup 2021. However, following the tournament, Ashwin was again out looked. Now, the 35-year-old is back in the team for the Asia Cup.

“There are two types of bowlers - one who sets traps to dismiss batters and one who are economical. Ashwin is the only player in the world who can do both of these things. He is a world-class bowler and one of the greats. Now that he has been selected, I think Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid must have an influence, even the selectors as well, I feel this is a very good move by the Indian team.”

Though the spinner forms a part of the Indian squad for the Asia Cup, the chances of him making it to the playing XI are slim. In their first game against Pakistan, India went with two spin options in the form of Ravindra Jadeja and Yuzvendra Chahal. The team is unlikely to hamper this combination.

Also Read: What if IND vs PAK ended differently?