R Ashwin As Test Captain? Ex Pakistan Star Cricketer Backs India Spinner In Bold Claim
Former Pakistan cricketer Danish Kaneria has backed Ravichandran Ashwin's case for India's Test captaincy.
Ever since Virat Kohli's stint as India's captain in the three formats ended, the team has seen a number of captaincy candidates stepping up. Though Rohit Sharma is the designated skipper across all three formats, the likes of Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, and even Jasprit Bumrah have taken up the roles for short stints in different formats. One player, who despite his experience, hasn't been given the role is Ravichandran Ashwin. Former Pakistan spinner, Danish Kaneria, feels Ashwin should be one of the Test captaincy candidates in the team, especially with regard to the career he has had so far.
Undoubtedly one of the finest Indian cricketers in the longest format of the game, Ashwin has truly been a lynchpin in the Indian Test team. Not just with the ball, the Tamil Nadu-born spinner has also bailed out the Indian team from tough situations with his bat at times.
Hence, Kaneria feels Ashwin should be one of the captaincy candidates in the Indian Test team.
"Ravichandran Ashwin should be one of the candidates for India's Test captaincy. He still has a lot of cricket left in him. He is very smart and intelligent with his batting and bowling. It seems as if he is constantly thinking when he is on the ground," Kaneria said in a video on his YouTube channel.
Speaking of the 2nd Test against Bangladesh, Ashwin emerged as the hero with the bat on Day 4, scoring an unbeaten 42 to help India win the match by 3 wickets.
"India were under a lot of pressure. Ravichandran Ashwin was cool and calm in that situation, playing a great knock to steady the ship for his team. He has saved India on several occasions with his batting contributions. The Indian team looked weak when they played without Anil Kumble in the past, and the same goes for Ashwin. His 42-run knock was equal to scoring a century," Kaneria further said.
Ashwin was named the Player of the Match for his all-rounder contribution in the 2nd Test.
India Cricket Team
Ravichandran Ashwin