Legendary Indian spinner Erapalli Prasanna feels that Ravichandran Ashwin is the best spin bowler in the world right now.
Ashwin, who picked up 72 Test wickets in 2016, was named as the ICC Cricketer of the Year and the ICC Test Cricketer of the Year last week. He is also the top-ranked bowler in the ICC rankings for bowlers in Test cricket.
Speaking to PTI, Prasanna was full of praise for Ashwin but also advised the 30-year-old to give more flight to his deliveries so that batsmen are invited to drive.
“There is no doubt that Ashwin is the best striker bowler we have. He is the best spinner in the world now. Unless and until he makes the batsmen step out and drive it will be a little difficult for him. In the back of his mind he has got a leg break which he thinks is very effective,” said Prasanna.
“But watching him, the batsmen will easily know that he is going to bowl that delivery. From his action you can easily find out that he is going to bowl that one.”
Ravichandran Ashwin is the ICC Cricketer of the Year, winning the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy! Congratulations! #ICCAwards pic.twitter.com/OEEMK7GOda
— ICC (@ICC) December 22, 2016
Despite Jayant Yadav’s superb debut series against England, Prasanna questioned the credentials of the Haryana all-rounder as a Test cricketer.
“If you really ask me Jayant Yadav, I do not think, he will be able to bowl long spells at all. He is a useful batsman for T20 or one-day matches and he can bowl good four overs in these two formats,” the 76-year-old.
“He has already proved that in longer version of the game, he is not a strike bowler. He is not meant to be strike bowler.”
Prasanna, considered one of the greatest spin bowlers of all-time, represented India in 49 Tests and was a part of the famous spin quartet alongside Bishan Singh Bedi, Bhagwat Chandrasekhar and Srinivas Venkataraghavan.
