3 Indian bowlers who could be looked at as successors to Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravichandran Ashwin has been one of the most vital members of India’s Test team in the last 4 years. He has picked up wickets in all conditions and has made key contributions with the bat.
Since his debut, nobody has taken more wickets in Tests than Ashwin. With 342 wickets, he sits comfortably at the top of this list.
He also has a strike-rate of 53.7; no modern spinner takes wickets at a faster pace than Ashwin. In games that India wins, his strike-rate drops to 45.0.
But in the last one year, Ashwin has missed 4 out of 12 overseas matches due to injury. And since his debut, Ashwin has not missed even a single home match due to injury – he has featured in each of the 38 home matches.
This raises a question whether Ashwin is trying to do things differently away from home, which is possibly straining his body and resulting in injuries.
Virat Kohli said that Ashwin has been told the areas which he needs to work on to improve his fitness record. But in a recent interview, coach Ravi Shastri stated that Kuldeep Yadav is ahead of Ashwin in the pecking order to play as India’s primary spinner in away Tests.
With Ashwin already not playing limited overs cricket and struggling as a spinner away from home, here we look at three top contenders who can potentially succeed Ashwin.
1. Jayant Yadav
The Haryana born off-spinner could be a like-for-like replacement for Ashwin. Much like Ashwin, Jayant Yadav is a classical off-spinner and a reliable lower order batsman.
Yadav made his debut against England in 2016 and impressed one and all with his all-round skills. In his debut match, he bagged the wickets of Moeen Ali and Ben Stokes with his guile, and also made substantial contributions with the bat.
In his third match, Yadav scored his maiden hundred which helped India clinch the series against England.
However, a stress fracture halted his career and he had to miss the 2017-18 Ranji Trophy season. Since his comeback, Yadav has featured in the Indian Emerging XI, India A, Indian President XI teams and has performed consistently.
In his recent outing for Indian President XI, Yadav's returns were 17/1 from 10 overs. With international cricket experience on his side, he could be a potential successor to Ashwin.