Ricky Ponting, the esteemed former captain of Australia, showered accolades upon the seasoned Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, hailing him as a virtuoso in the realm of spin bowling, irrespective of the playing conditions. As Ashwin geared up for his landmark 100th Test appearance against England in the final match at Dharamshala’s HPCA Stadium, Ponting, who had the opportunity to work closely with Ashwin during their tenure at the Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League (IPL), extolled Ashwin’s profound cricketing acumen.
Ponting said: “He’s a master of spin in any conditions. He’s been an incredible cricketer, no doubt about it. I had a chance to coach him for a couple of years at Delhi, and loved working with him. He’s got a lot of theories and philosophies on the game, which I really like.”
“He’s always done things a little bit differently and done things his own way. But he just continued to evolve as a bowler. That’s the thing that I loved about him when I was coaching him, he’d stand at the end of his mark and he’d be working on something different, a little tweak to his action or a change of grip or a different delivery. He’s never been one that was going to die wondering about trying to find ways to get better.”
In every encounter, Ashwin seems to etch new records, with his recent feats including surpassing the 500-wicket milestone and eclipsing Anil Kumble in both the highest number of Test wickets in India and the most five-wicket hauls during the ongoing series against England. Ponting lauded Ashwin’s innovative approach to the game, commending his unwavering commitment to evolution as a bowler. Drawing from his coaching stint, Ponting emphasized Ashwin’s penchant for experimenting with novel techniques, underscoring his relentless pursuit of refinement and enhancement on the field.
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