In a glowing tribute to Ravichandran Ashwin, former England left-arm spinner Monty Panesar hailed him as the "engineer of spin bowling," emphasising the meticulous craftsmanship that Ashwin brings to the art of spin.
As the eminent Indian spinner gears up for his 100th Test in the red-ball format, Panesar acknowledged the significance of this milestone, coming on the heels of Ashwin's remarkable feat of securing his 500th wicket in the third Test at Rajkot.
With a career spanning over a decade, the 37-year-old maestro has left an indelible mark, amassing 507 wickets in 99 Tests at an impressive average of 23.9 and an economy rate of 2.79.
Currently, ranked as the ninth-highest wicket-taker globally in Tests and second in India only to the legendary Anil Kumble, Ashwin is lauded for his ability to entangle opposition batsmen with an array of deceptive deliveries.
Panesar highlighted Ashwin's trademark carrom ball, delivered with a flick of the fingers in a front-on action, as a potent weapon that has left renowned batters like Alistair Cook and Hashim Amla befuddled on the crease. Beyond this, Ashwin's repertoire boasts a myriad of variations, including the slider, arm ball, and topspin, executed with nuanced wrist positions, which have consistently kept batsmen guessing.
Speaking with ANI, Panesar paid the ultimate compliment to Ashwin's dedication to evolving his craft.
"Ashwin has been absolutely brilliant. Role-wise, he has been there working out angles and engineering his way to dismissals.I think he is brilliant at how he changed the revolutions on the ball and enriched the art of spin bowling. It is all about angles, mathematics, and data. So, I think he is the engineer of spin bowling," declared Panesar, recognising Ashwin's relentless commitment to pushing the boundaries of spin bowling.
