Veteran India batter Cheteshwar Pujara made a sharp observation about Ravichandran Ashwin and called him one of the fittest. The ace spinner is all set to play his 100th Test in Dharamsala with the final match of the series against England. Ashwin, who made his Test debut in 2011, has been one of the biggest match-winners for India in red-ball cricket over the past decade. However, the 37-year-old came under the scanners on a few occasions for his efforts on the fields.
Meanwhile, Pujara pointed out bowling 30-40 overs in a day is not an easy task and labelled Ashwin one of the fittest cricketers he has seen.
“When you are playing the longer format, bowling fitness is the most important thing, and Ash is probably one of the fittest I have known. If he ends up bowling 30, 35, 40 overs in a day, when he bowls again the next morning, his body might be a little fatigued, but he still has the stamina to carry on,” Pujara wrote in his column about Ashwin on ESPNCricinfo.
Ashwin recently completed 500 Test wickets during the third Test match in Rajkot and he followed it up with a masterful performance in Ranchi with a fifer in the second innings. Meanwhile, the seasoned spinner has not been able to live up to the expectations in the ongoing series but the fifer in Ranchi will be a huge morale-booster for him before his landmark 100th Test which he would be looking to make it special.
Pujara and Ashwin have played a lot of cricket together as the duo shares great camaraderie both on and off the field.
The talismanic batter further wrote about his bond with the ace spinner and he is always keen to learn new things.
“We became close friends by talking cricket. Most times we are on the same side, but you can never win an argument against him. He is very smart, and his vocabulary is probably among the best in the cricketing fraternity. I wish I had his incredible memory. That is probably because he has a mind that is always ticking. Away from cricket, he is a voracious reader, enjoys chess online, and is open to learning new things,” he added.
