'Ashwin's been one of my biggest coaches in a way'

Just four wickets away from joining the elite 500-wicket club, Australia spinner Nathan Lyon on Wednesday acknowledged the role played by India tweaker Ravichandran Ashwin in his career, hailing him as "one of my biggest coaches".

Ahead of the opening Test against Pakistan starting here on Thursday, Lyon, who is returning from a calf injury, only had respect for Ashwin.

"You look at Ashwin, he's a world-class bowler and somebody I've watched closely from the start of his career," Lyon was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au.

"We've gone head-to-head many times in different conditions around the world. I've definitely learned from him.

"There's an opportunity to learn from the people you play against, and without knowing it he's probably been one of my biggest coaches in a way," he said.

Lyon has 496 wickets, while Ashwin, who is currently touring South Africa for two Tests, has 489 wickets.

"It's pretty amazing to see we're both creeping up to that 500 mark, and we'll see where we end up. Hopefully at the end of our career we'll sit down and have a nice feed and a beer and talk about it," Lyon said.

The legendary late Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan are the only spinners to have achieved the feat of snapping 500 or more Test wickets in international cricket.