WTC Final: Time Has Come For Ravichandran Ashwin to Win India a Game in Foreign Conditions – Sanjay Manjrekar

New Delhi: India’s former batsman Sanjay Manjrekar has stated that the time has come for Ravichandran Ashwin to win India a game in overseas conditions. Manjrekar had recently come under scrutiny for his analysis when he stated that he won’t rate Ravichandran Ashwin as the greatest spinner of all-time as the off-spinner hasn’t scalped a lot of five-wicket hauls in SENA countries.

Ashwin has an immaculate record in the home conditions where there is a lot of help for the overseas conditions but his numbers in alienate conditions aren’t that impressive. However, the off-spinner had impressed in the recent tour of Australia as he had scalped 12 wickets in three Test matches and also troubled the opposition talisman batsman Steve Smith in the first two matches.

This is the third tour of England for Ashwin and he has all the experience of bowling in different conditions. Thus, the off-spinner is going to play a crucial role for the Virat Kohli-led team in the ongoing WTC final.

Sanjay Manjrekar said while talking to ESPN Cricinfo”He is surely a high-class bowler but I will again tell everyone that he’s a brilliant match-winner on turning pitches in India. But this is his third tour to England – he’s been to Australia three times and twice to South Africa – and here he hasn’t shown a long impactful spell yet to win the game for India. The time has come for Ashwin to do just that.”

Meanwhile, Ashwin was able to get the big wicket of Tom Latham. The New Zealand openers were able to post an opening alliance of 72 runs and Ashwin provided the first breakthrough as he enticed Latham into a drive and gave more flight than his previous delivery to get him caught at short cover. Manjrekar compared Ashwin’s wicket with the way legendary spinners like Erapalli Prasanna and Bishan Singh Bedi used to get their scalps.

“Today’s wicket was absolutely brilliant because he had no help from the wicket and he got the dismissal in a new way. In India, he picks up wickets with the help of short-leg and silly-point. Today, he picked up the wicket like an old-timer, like how Prasanna and Bishan Singh Bedi used to do by luring the batsmen into driving to the covers, mid-off or mid-on. Pitch didn’t have anything for him but despite that, he picked the wicket using a good strategy, tactic and skills.”

Ashwin will play a big role if India has to make a comeback in the ongoing WTC Final against New Zealand.