Ravichandran Ashwin opens up on 'hypothetical battle' with Javed Miandad
Six head-to-head contests were highlighted, featuring Ashwin versus Pakistan legend
India’s star off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin recently shared his thoughts on how player battles would unfold if selected greats of Pakistan and India from the 90s were to face modern-day stars.
ESPNCricinfo posted this on social platforms, which Ashwin also shared on his Instagram story with his thoughts on battle. The publication invited fans to choose who they believed would emerge victorious in individual battles between these players.
Six head-to-head contests were highlighted, featuring Ashwin versus Pakistan’s Javed Miandad, Virat Kohli versus Waqar Younis, Babar Azam versus Anil Kumble, Saeed Anwar versus Jasprit Bumrah, Rohit Sharma versus Wasim Akram, and Sachin Tendulkar versus Shaheen Afridi.
Ashwin shared the image with the caption: “Miandad will win the battle against me. What a fabulous player he was. I just wish there was a Time Machine.”
Speaking about Ashwin's opponent Miandad, the former Pakistani batter played 124 Tests and 233 ODIs, amassing 16123 runs across various formats. This included 31 centuries and 93 half-centuries. The renowned batter notably excelled against India, securing 3403 runs in 63 matches, comprising eight centuries and 20 half-centuries.
In contrast, Ashwin has solely featured in limited-overs cricket against Pakistan. The neighbouring nations have faced each other exclusively in ICC tournaments since 2013 due to ongoing geopolitical tensions. Ashwin has claimed 13 wickets in 14 matches against Pakistan.
It must be noted Ashwin has been nominated for the Test Cricketer of the Year Award 2023 alongside Australia’s Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, and England’s Joe Root.
He has scalped 41 wickets in seven Tests in 2023, also winning the Player of the Series Award in the 2023 Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Ashwin has scalped 490 wickets in 95 Tests, which includes 42 fifers. His last outing was during the Boxing Day Test against South Africa in Centurion, where he ended the game with just one wicket. His next Test outing will be in the five-match red-ball series against England at home, starting on January 25 at Hyderabad.
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