Steve Waugh calls Ravi Ashwin 'the Bradman of bowling'

What’s the story?

Steve Waugh was one of the Australian Cricket Team’s most successful captains of all time. The team was moulded in his image and they rallied around his stern, aggressive, determined and persistent ways to achieve incredible success.

While speaking on the sidelines of the 2017 Laureus Sports Awards in Monaco about Australia’s upcoming tour, he said, “I hope we do better than England. I think they were too defensive in the first Test. You have to be positive and can’t hope that it will happen. England didn’t win it and the entire momentum changed. It’s really hard to turn the tide with the fanatical crowd and when the batsmen start doing well, there’s a tsunami of support, making it hard to concentrate.

India are a very hot side right now, Ashwin is basically the Bradman of bowling right now, his record is pretty much equivalent to Bradman’s. He’s pretty handy with the bat as well, so that’s something we will have to overcome. If we can overcome that, then I think we stand a chance.”

The context

Everything that Ravichandran Ashwin has touched in his Test career has turned to gold. His record now boasts of 7 ‘man of the series’ trophies and he also most recently became the quickest to 250 wickets in Test cricket history.

What’s more, he’s proven to be phenomenal with the bat and has a batting average of nearly 35 now.

The details

Waugh makes a very pertinent point about England’s performance in the first Test. It was the only point in the series when they had India on the back foot but let the team escape and play their way to a draw. Once they had let the opportunity slip, the Indian team came back with renewed vigour and were unstoppable thereafter.

While Virat Kohli and Steve Smith hog the limelight during the series, Ravichandran Ashwin is definitely the player around whose performances the series hinges the most. He has proven to be unbelievable with both the bat and the ball and the former captain recognized his fabulous form.

Sportskeeda’s take

Steve Waugh’s battles with India have been immortalized over the years and now there’s a general sense of respect towards the great cricketer. His kind words for Ashwin will have certainly hit a good note with a number of fans.

While Ashwin has had compliments pour in from all corners over the past couple of seasons, the fact that Waugh compared him to Bradman might be one of the highest honours he will ever receive in cricket.