Sanjay Manjrekar does not believe that Ashwin is a real all-time great cricketer

According to Manjrekar, Ashwin is not a real all-time great cricketer. He pointed out how Ashwin does not have good records in SENA countries and has also failed to level up to his teammates in running through sides in Indian conditions.

Sanjay Manjrekar explained how Ravindra Jadeja had often matched Ashwin in terms of taking wickets in India. He also gave the example of Axar Patel who took 27 wickets in three Tests in the home series against England. Ashwin on the other hand took 23 wickets in four games. 

The cricketer-turned commentator stated that he has a problem when people refer to Ashwin as one of the all-time great of the game. One of his basic problems is his lack of any five-wicket haul in SENA countries. The second problem is that he can easily be matched by Ravindra Jadeja when it comes to taking wickets in India. Also youngster Axar Patel easily matched Ashwin during the home test series against England. Thereby, Manjrekar has a problem accepting Ashwin as all-time great as he doesn’t have any record to show for deserving the title.

At present, Ashwin occupies the second position in the ICC Test rankings for bowlers. He has picked 409 wickets in the 70 tests that he has played so far with an impressive average of 24.69. He is just 26 wickets away from becoming India’s second-highest wicket-taker and the world’s ninth-highest wicket-taker.

Ian Chappell believes that Ashwin deserves the all-time great tag

Chappell gave the example of West Indian legend Joel to contradict Sanjay Manjrekar’s claim. He argued that Joel too had fewer five-wicket hauls as his teammates were equally capable of picking wickets. Similarly, the Indian attack of late has been strong with many capable bowlers. So when Ashwin blows alongside three other equally talented bowlers, the wickers get shared among them. 

Chappell also opined on the England series and how Axar Patel was more successful in it than Ashwin. He stated it was because the batsmen were more focused on Ashwin and less on Patel. That helped Patel take comparatively more wickets. The batsmen of the English team had very little clue about Patel’s talent and form.

Ravichandran Ashwin would next play for India in the WTC finals against New Zealand in Southampton. If he can take crucial wickets in the championship final, then he could be declared great once and for all.

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