Legendary Australian cricketer, Ricky Ponting, has praised Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin as a master of spin bowling in all conditions and an excellent cricketer. Ponting collaborated with Ashwin at the Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League (IPL), where the former Australian captain was the head coach.

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Ricky Ponting is all praise for Ravichandran Ashwin

Every game Ashwin tweaks his arm over, he breaks records; in the current series against England, he not only cleared the 500-wicket barrier, but also passed Anil Kumble for the most Test wickets in India and the most five-wicket hauls. He currently trails only ICC Hall of Famers Muttiah Muralitharan, Shane Warne, and Richard Hadlee in terms of Test five-wicket hauls.

Ashwin is on the verge of being the 14th Indian cricketer to play 100 Test matches, finishing off a spectacular and brilliant career that many young players aspire to.

"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," Ponting said in ICC Review.

"He's always done things a little bit differently and done things his own way. But he just continued to evolve as a bowler. 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," Ashwin added.

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India vs England 5th Test: Preview

India sealed the series with an unassailable 3-1 lead in the fourth Test in Ranchi, but their attention now shifts to the final game in Dharamsala, where they will try to accumulate vital World Test Championship points and make it a memorable event for Ashwin's 100th Test. Rohit Sharma's men are now first in the WTC25 standings and will look to preserve that position after Australia defeated New Zealand in Wellington.