"Master of spin in any conditions" - Ricky Ponting lauds Ravichandran Ashwin as the latter prepares for his 100th Test

Former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting has lauded Ravichandran Ashwin as the Indian spinner gears up for his 100th Test. The Tasmanian stated Ashwin has constantly evolved as a bowler, having coached him at the Delhi Capitals.

Having made his debut in 2011, the 37-year-old has emerged as one of India's biggest match-winners since 2013. The Tamil Nadu-born cricketer completed 500 wickets in Test cricket by dismissing Zak Crawley in the first innings in Rajkot.

Speaking in an episode of the ICC Review, Ponting observed that Ashwin doesn't stick to one game-plan and keeps coming up with several to outsmart the opposition. He said:

"He's a master of spin in any conditions. He's been an incredible cricketer, no doubt about it. I had a chance to coach him for a couple of years at Delhi, and loved working with him. He's got a lot of theories and philosophies on the game, which I really like. He's always done things a little bit differently and done things his own way. But he just continued to evolve as a bowler."

While the veteran is a bona fide wicket-taker, he is also a handy batter down the order. He has accumulated over 3300 runs in 99 Tests alongside five centuries with a best of 124.

Ashwin will play his 100th Test against England in Dharamsala, beginning on March 7.

"That's the thing that I loved about him" - Ricky Ponting

The two-time World Cup-winning captain recalled how Ashwin is always looking for that little tweak to get better. Ponting added:

"That's the thing that I loved about him when I was coaching him, he’d stand at the end of his mark and he'd be working on something different, a little tweak to his action or a change of grip or a different delivery. He's never been one that was going to die wondering about trying to find ways to get better."

India have already taken an unassailable 3-1 lead in the ongoing five-Test series against England. They sparked a remarkable comeback after suffering a defeat in the opening game in Hyderabad.