"Engineer Of Spin Bowling": Ex-England Star's Humongous Praise For Ravichandran Ashwin

Coming out in glowing praise of a member of his tribe and a modern-day exponent of spin, former England left-arm spinner Monty Panesar labelled Ravichandran Ashwin the "engineer of spin bowling". The fifth and final Test against England at the picturesque HPCA stadium in Himachal's Dharamshala will mark Ashwin's 100th in the red-ball format. The match will see India's spinning ace crossing another major career milestone after picking up his 500th wicket in the third Test at Rajkot. In a career spanning more than a decade, the 37-year-old tweaker has bagged 507 wickets across 99 Tests at a staggering average of 23.9 and an economy of 2.79.

Currently ranked globally as the ninth-highest wicket-taker in Tests and the second-highest in India after the legendary Anil Kumble, Ashwin brings his bag of tricks to the team, tying opposition batsmen in knots.

His unique carrom ball, which he delivers with a flick of his fingers from a front-on action, is a weapon in his bowling armoury that has made some of the world's best batters, including former England captain Alistair Cook and retired South African stalwart Hashim Amla, look clueless on the crease.

His myriad other variations, including the slider, arm ball, and topspin, among others, delivered with slight alterations of his wrist position, have kept batsmen guessing through the years. These variations have made the wily operator a prolific wicket-taker across formats, especially Tests, over the years.

Speaking to ANI over the phone on Tuesday, Panesar paid the ultimate tribute to Ashwin for the efforts he has undertaken to add to his repertoire and reinvent himself in the game.

"Ashwin has been absolutely brilliant. The first I came across him was during a Test series in