Sanjay Manjrekar doesn't consider Ashwin as standout bowler, says 'Jadeja has matched him'

Sanjay Manjrekar has said that senior Team India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is not one of the all-time greats as he does not boast of having registered a fifer in SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand & Australia) countries.

'One basic problem I have with Ashwin is...' : Sanjay Manjrekar

"When people start talking about him as being one of the all-time greats of the game then I have a few problems. One basic problem I have with Ashwin is that when you look at SENA countries, Ashwin doesn't have a single five-wicket haul there," said Sanjay Manjrekar while speaking on ESPNCricinfo.

"And the other thing when you talk about him running through sides on Indian pitches that are suited to his kind of bowling is that in the last four years, Jadeja has matched him with wicket-taking abilities. Then, interestingly, in the last series against England, Axar Patel got more wickets than Ashwin on similar pitches. So that is my problem with accepting Ashwin as a real all-time great," the cricketer-turned-commentator/analyst added.

R Ashwin's recent performances in red-ball cricket

R Ashwin is the fastest bowler ever to reach 350 Test wickets. The finger-spinner finished a successful tour of Australia (2020/21) with 12 scalps to his name at an average of 28.83. He had also contributed immensely with the bat during the all-important third Test at the SCG as he and Hanuma Vihari helped the Indian team secure a hard-fought draw to stay alive in the four-match series. India went on to win the following Test at Gabba and retained the iconic Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

In the four-match home Test series against England that followed, R Ashwin succeded in registering 32 wickets wherein, he had also registered a five-wicket haul for the 30th time in the longest format of the game. Apart from that, the Tamil Nadu cricketer also completed 400 Test wickets as well.

R Ashwin will next be seen in action during the ICC World Test Championship final against New Zealand that will be contested at Ageas Rose Bowl in Southampton on June 18. After the one-off Test match, Virat Kohli & Co. will face England in a five-match Test series starting August 4.

 It remains to be seen whether or not R Ashwin will get a chance to make his ball talk in the ICC WTC final as the current top two Test sides battle it out for the biggest prize in red-ball cricket and the right to be called 'World Test Champions'.