"Ravichandran Ashwin should be one of the candidates for India's Test captaincy" - Danish Kaneria
Former Pakistan cricketer Danish Kaneria believes that veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin should be in contention to become India's captain in Test cricket.
Kaneria pointed out that Ashwin is likely to be around for a few more years, and he deserves to be given a leadership role in red-ball cricket. He opined that the senior bowling all-rounder, being a thinking cricketer, can achieve great success as the captain of India's Test side.
The 42-year-old made these remarks during a live session on his YouTube channel on Sunday, December 25. Kaneria suggested:
"Ravichandran Ashwin should be one of the candidates for India's Test captaincy. He still has a lot of cricket left in him. He is very smart and intelligent with his batting and bowling. It seems as if he is constantly thinking when he is on the ground."
Notably, Ashwin was one of the key architects of India's thrilling three-wicket victory in the recently concluded second Test against Bangladesh. Apart from taking six wickets in the fixture, he also chipped in with a valuable unbeaten 42-run knock to help KL Rahul and Co. chase down a target of 145 runs.
Kaneria pointed out how India were under a lot of pressure when Ashwin walked out to bat during the run chase. He lauded the seasoned campaigner for showing great composure and leading his side to victory with his valiant batting effort.
Kaneria compared Ashwin to legendary Indian spinner Anil Kumble, emphasizing that the team looks weaker when the off-spinner is not a part of the playing XI. He said:
"India were under a lot of pressure. Ravichandran Ashwin was cool and calm in that situation, playing a great knock to steady the ship for his team. He has saved India on several occasions with his batting contributions.
"The Indian team looked weak when they played without Anil Kumble in the past, and the same goes for Ashwin. His 42-run knock was equal to scoring a century."
Ravichandran Ashwin has played an important role in two incredible victories for India in 2022 🤩🇮🇳
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India had their backs against the wall on Day 4 of the second Test, reeling at 74/7 at one stage. However, Ashwin, alongside Shreyas Iyer, helped them stage a turnaround with their stunning unbeaten partnership of 71 runs for the eighth wicket.
"Proved to be very costly for Bangladesh" - Danish Kaneria on Ravichandran Ashwin getting a big reprieve
Ravichandran Ashwin was dropped on one by Mominul Haque at short leg off Mehidy Hasan Miraz's bowling during the Indian run chase.
The missed chance cost Bangladesh the game, but things could have been different had the fielder held on to the catch, given that India still needed 65 runs to win at that stage. Kaneria highlighted that the hosts gifted the match to India by dropping the catch.
He elaborated:
"Mominul Haque is a fantastic fielder who has taken some wonderful catches at silly point. However, he dropped Ravichandran Ashwin's catch, which proved to be very costly for Bangladesh. Dropping a catch at that stage was like gifting the match to India."
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With their three-wicket win, India completed a brilliant 2-0 Test series victory over Bangladesh. They currently occupy second place in the World Test Championship points table and have a percentage of points (PCT) of 58.93.