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‘He (Ashwin) has won a lot of matches (for India), some of them single-handedly’
VVS Laxman, the wristy genius, delivered the Dilip Sardesai memorial lecture, in Mumbai, on Thursday.
He praised off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who became the fastest Indian to scalp 200 Test wickets and the second-fastest in the world when he achieved the feat in the first Test against New Zealand in Kanpur in his 37th game.
Asked where he would rate Ashwin among all spinners, Laxman said, "One of the best, without a doubt. For me any great bowler or a great batsman or great cricketer is when you win matches for your team and Ashwin has just done that in the last four years.
"He has won a lot of matches (for India), some of them single-handedly. You have to always look to evolve, never stagnate as a player and always look to improve. That is another aspect of being a great player and that is what Ashwin has done from the first Test he has played. He is a thinking cricketer and a match-winner for me and I always respect match-winners," he added.