"I hope they take 1000 wickets" - Shane Warne wants these spinners to break his and Muttiah Muralitharan's records
Legendary Australian spinner Shane Warne is the second-highest wicket-taker in Test cricket with 708 scalps to his name. Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan, of course, tops the charts with 800 wickets.
The Aussie leg-spinner, however, recently said he wants two modern day spinners to surpass both himself and his long-time rival Muralitharan.
India's Ravichandran Ashwin and Australia's Nathan Lyon are the two premier spinners in Test cricket right now. With 430 and 415 wickets to their name respectively, the duo are the highest wicket-takers among active spinners.
Speaking to the Hindustan Times, Warne said he wants both of them to go past 1,000 wickets each as it would only mean that cricket is becoming more entertaining.
Asked if he thought the two spinners could go past him and Muralitharan in Test cricket, he said:
"I hope both Ashwin and Lyon do, because the more we see quality spin bowlers bowling, it makes for more interesting cricket. I think when you watch a pace bowler bowl real fast and a batter trying to take them on and then you see a really good spinner and that battle between him and a spinner."
He went on to add:
"And you see that battle evolve. If you can see those two things in Test cricket, I think it becomes more entertaining. So if we can have that, then I hope Ashwin takes 1000 Test wickets, Lyon takes 1000 Test wickets. That would be fantastic."
Speaking about Ashwin, Warne said:
"Ashwin is getting better and better. He has been fantastic. A true test of any cricketer is how they go away from home. Over a long period of time when you go to different countries and see how you perform overseas and then you end up having a record – both home and overseas, it gives you an idea as to how far you've come as a player."
He said he is a big fan of the off-spinner because of his constant efforts to try and innovate and push boundaries.
"I am a big fan of Ashwin, the way he bowls. I think he is always trying to develop and explore different deliveries," he said.
"I'm not sure they've declined" - Shane Warne on Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav
Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav at one point formed a deadly combination for India in limited overs, taking wickets in heaps and choking out teams in the middle overs.
While Kuldeep has fallen out of favor with the team management, even Chahal hasn't been as effective as he once used to be.
Shane Warne argued that they have not declined, but rather Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja have simply upped their game and surpassed the wrist-spinning duo.
"I'm not sure they have declined. When you have Ashwin and Jadeja, two wonderful bowlers, it's very hard to get into the team. Kuldeep is a wonderful wrist-spinner, so is Chahal. But it's tough to get into the team when you've got Ashwin and Jadeja. So I don't think they've had a downfall or anything like that, or drop in form. I just think the other two are doing really well," Warne said.
Chahal was left out of India's squad for the 2021 T20 World Cup, while Ashwin earned a recall to the white-ball setup for the first time since 2017 in that tournament.
In India's latest ODI assignment, Chahal and Ashwin both played against South Africa.