"Crowned jewel of Indian cricket" - Ravichandran Ashwin heaps praise on Team India pacer Jasprit Bumrah
Indian ace spinner Ravichandran Ashwin lavished praise on pacer Jasprit Bumrah for his work ethic, ability to clock high speeds consistently in hot conditions, and overall impact. Ashwin's comments came after Bumrah recently declared himself the fittest Indian cricketer, which erupted in a controversy.
On being asked to choose the fittest Indian cricketer at a press conference a few days ago, Bumrah sensed that the reporter wanted him to take Virat Kohli's name. However, he responded by saying (via Hindustan Times):
“I know the answer you are searching for, but I would like to say my name, because I am a fast bowler. Being a fast bowler and playing in this country in the heat takes a lot of requirement. So I will always promote a fast bowler.”
During an interaction with journalist Vimal Kumar and Ashwath Bobo on his Hindi YouTube channel 'Ash ki Baat,' Ashwin slammed the media for their criticism of Jasprit Bumrah. The 38-year-old said the right-arm pacer is a 'crowned jewel' and that no other Indian bowler has had the same impact as him since Kapil Dev.
Ravichandran Ashwin said:
"Jasprit Bumrah is a fast bowler. He keeps bowling 145 km/h. He is a crowned jewel of Indian cricket. He is the Kohinoor diamond of Indian cricket. Let him say whatever he wants. After Kapil Dev, has there been an Indian bowler bigger than Bumrah?"
"People want to say that he got injured, how is he the fittest cricketer? There is a lot of difference. One is a tipper lorry and one is a Mercedes-Benz. Mercedes-Benz can be driven carefully, it's chauffeur-driven. Tipper Lorry has to move from north to south with so much load. A fast bowler is a tipper lorry, they will break down. He has come back from a stress fracture and is bowling at 145 km/h. Give him credit," the off spinner added.
Tamim Iqbal commends Ravichandran Ashwin's performance in IND vs BAN 2024 1st Test
Bangladesh batter Tamim Iqbal believes Ravichandran Ashwin should be given the due credit for his services to Indian cricket.
Iqbal served as a commentator for the first Test between India and Bangladesh in Chennai. The match saw Ashwin pick a fifer and score a century, which helped India win by 280 runs.
"What I always hear is Virat Kohlis and Rohit Sharmas, but Ravichandran Ashwin is equally important in my eyes. We only talk about when they do well; when they get the hundreds, they get five-six wickets. But their contribution to this Indian team is immense. It's as big as Rohit, as big as Virat Kohli," Tamim Iqbal said [via Republic World].
Ashwin will return to the field for the second and final Test of the series, beginning on September 27 in Kanpur.