Kanpur, Sep 26: Describing Ravichandran Ashwin as a ‘priceless’ player, India Test skipper Virat Kohli has praised the premier off-spinner for contributing outstandingly with both bat and ball in his side’s massive 197-run victory over New Zealand in their historic 500th Test here at Green Park in Kanpur on Monday.
Ashwin once again hogged the limelight, bagging six wickets to add to his first-innings haul of four wickets as New Zealand were bundled out for 236 in their second innings while chasing an improbable target of 434 runs for victory.
Photo by: Deepak Malik/ BCCI/ SPORTZPICS
This was for the fifth time that Ashwin has taken a 10-wicket haul in the longest format of the game.
The 27-year-old insisted that Ashwin has been performing wonderfully in the last couple of years and that he has always played a pivotal role in helping the side clinch victory.
“He is a very keen thinker of the game. He works hard on his game. He understands the game really well. Very smart cricketer, very intelligent and that shows in his batting as well. He understands the situation. He plays accordingly. He knows when to get runs and when to play the situation out accordingly. So, it is priceless to have a cricketer like Ashwin in your Test team,” asserted Kohli.