'If Ashwin was English right now, they would've told him to retire because...': Former England spinner explains difference between selectors of two nations

38-year-old and still taking wickets for fun, Ravichandran Ashwin has aged like a fine wine. After rescuing India against Bangladesh at his homeground with his sixth Test ton, he made short work of them in the fourth innings with a six-wicket haul. India’s second-highest wicket-taker in the format, Ashwin is showing no signs of retiring as he is capable of dominating with both bat and ball. However, former England spinner Monty Panesar feels that had he been English, the selectors would have told him to retire to make way for youngsters. 
 

"They experiment more. If Ashwin was English right now, then they would have told him to retire because they want to bring youngsters who have the potential to play. But I think England experiments more, and they like to experiment," Panesar told IANS.
 

Lyon better than Ashwin?

Panesar also compared Ashwin with Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon. Despite not much to differentiate between the two, Panesar feels Lyon is a batter bowler than Ashwin considering the conditions in which he has bowled in. However, in Indian conditions, he rates Ashwin higher than Lyon.
 

"I think I see Nathan Lyon in my opinion. Yes, he is a better bowler. But I think Ashwin is a better bowler in India. I think he thinks like a batter when he bowls. He is able to pick out the weakness and he can exploit it, and that is his biggest advantage. He bats really well when he bowls; he knows what the batters are thinking," the 42-year-old added.

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Ashwin vs Lyon soon

Lyon and Ashwin are seventh and eighth-highest wicket-takers in the format. Lyon has 530 wickets from 129 Tests. On the other hand, Ashwin has 522 scalps from 101 Tests. Ashwin is likely to move past Lyon on the list in the second Test or in the Test series against New Zealand at home.

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The two stalwarts of the game will be up against each other when India tour Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. Lyon has already predicted that Australia will beat India at home and end the visitors’ dominance in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.  
 

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