"Kapil Dev and Ravichandran Ashwin should be spoken of in the same breath" - Dinesh Karthik after Day 4 of 1st India vs New Zealand Test
Dinesh Karthik wants Ravichandran Ashwin and India's World-Cup winning captain Kapil Dev to be spoken of in the same breath. The wicketkeeper-batter said they are two of the best Indian all-rounders, and deserve the same respect.
Karthik's comments came after Day 4 of India's ongoing first Test against New Zealand in Kanpur. Ashwin infused intent in the hosts' stuttering second innings with a 62-ball 32. He then scalped New Zealand opener Will Young before stumps to become India's joint-third-most successful Test bowler with 417 scalps.
Speaking on the show 'Cricbuzz Chatter', Karthik said that he hasn't seen much of Kapil Dev. But he remarked that both Dev and Ravichandran Ashwin are exemplary match-winners for the country. He said:
"Obvioulsy, I don't think I am in a place to judge both of them, but I must admit that they should be spoken of in the same breath when it comes to Indian cricket because both of them have been match-winners, have been exemplary, and have been definitely the two best all-rounders to have come out of this soil for a long, long time."
Karthik, who has played with and watched Ashwin closely says that the latter deserves to be considered as one of India's best all-rounders. The former Kolkata Knight Riders captain said in this regard:
"You have to put him there (among India's best all-rounders) with the number of Man of the Series he has won, the accolades he has got obviously."
"Getting 417 wickets in 80 Tests is an unbelievable record to have and the fact that he's contributed and scored five hundreds, much more than a lot of the batters who play for a longer period of time in Test matches. There are people who have played 30-35 Tests, and still haven't managed five hundreds."
Ashwin is now only behind Anil Kumble (619) and Kapil Dev (434) in the list of India's top wicket-takers in Test cricket. In his illustrious career spanning 131 Tests, Dev scored 5238 runs at an average of 31.05, including eight tons. While not as flamboyant, Ashwin is not too behind with 2685 runs from 80 Tests.
Just realized that @ashwinravi99 has more test centuries than Vinod Kambli, Sanjay Manjrekar, Sandeep Patil or Kris Srikkanth. Sometimes, perceptions can be very misleading
It needs to be noted that Kapil Dev was a brilliant ODI all-rounder as well, with his fast-bowling considered among the best in the world in the 80s and 90s. Ashwin is equally good, if not better, with his off-spin across formats, but has lacked a similar batting impact in ODIs and T20Is.
"Very critical innings" - Dinesh Karthik heaps more praise on Ravichandran Ashwin
ashwin is the most overworked player in the team during home tests...bowls a lot of overs, scores invaluable lower order runs and hosts the post day interviews #INDvsNZ
Dinesh Karthik also lauded Ravichandran Ashwin's intent and 'beautiful game plan' in his cameo in Kanpur, labelling it a 'critical innings' in the context of the game. He said:
"All credit to the way Ashwin and Shreyas Iyer batted. They batted with intent and purpose, and it was beautiful to watch the sort of game plan especially Ashwin brought to the table at that stage."
"With backs against the wall, going out there, playing his shots, (he) looked really good. That was a very critical innings because most of the top order was ou,t and generally the man of crisis Jadeja had also got out as well. Great to see Ashwin show the intent."
The visitors, who are chasing an unlikely target of 284 for victory, will resume proceedings on Day 5 at 4-1. India will look at Ashwin to pick wickets and thwart the visitors' attempts to salvage a draw.