Team India's splendid innings victory against Sri Lanka in the opening Test in Mohali was a complete team effort. On one hand, Ravindra Jadeja displayed a world-class all-round effort that included a knock of 175 not out apart from taking nine wickets in the match. Other major contributions included Rishabh Pant's 96 with the bat. However, one name that may not have been talked about a lot was that of Ravichandran Ashwin. Along with Jadeja, Ashwin was one of the main architects of the win. Not only did he score a half-century, he also claimed six wickets in the match to help his side finish the game early.
In the process, Ashwin also went past Kapil Dev's tally of Test wickets to go second in the all-time list of Indian Test wicket-takers.
Ashwin received immense praise from skipper Rohit, who even termed him an all-time great. After the match, Rohit had said: "He is an all-time great in my eyes. He is playing for so many years and performed for the country. So many match-winning performances, so for me, he is an all-time great. People might have different point of views but from where I see, he is an all-time great for me."
However, former Pakistan skipper Rashid Latif said he disagrees with Rohit.
According to Latif, Ashwin is a "great" bowler, but he is yet to fall in the bracket of an "all-time great" due to his performances overseas.
"Ashwin, no doubt, is a great bowler. He has brought variations to his bowling. If you look at Ashwin in home conditions with SG ball, no doubt he is the best spinner in India. However, in away conditions, I would not agree with his (Rohit's) statement. Kumble was very good, he performed really well. Even Jadeja has performed really well. In the past, Bishan Singh Bedi was brilliant," Latif said on the Caught Behind YouTube channel.
"If we talk only in India, no doubt he is good. I think it (Rohit's statement) might have been a slip of tongue. It is a way of motivating the players," he added.
The second match is set to begin from March 12 in Bengaluru.