Ashwin is Bradman of bowling, says Waugh

monaco — Former Australia skipper Steve Waugh on Tuesday described Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin as the ‘Don Bradman of bowling’ and said that he is the player the Australian team would be wary of during their upcoming tour of India.

Australia are set to play a four-Test series against India starting on February 23 in Pune and Waugh said Australian team would have to keep calm under pressure and find ways to deal with Ashwin’s bowling.

“Ashwin is basically the Bradman of bowling. What he is doing is quite incredible. I think he is the player we have to overcome. The Australians would have to look at ways to overcome Ashwin’s bowling. If Aussies can do that then we will have a chance. The guys need to stay calm under pressure. “The way he is playing at the moment, he is going to break a number of records. Ashwin’s statistics are just mindboggling,” added the 51-year-old Australian.

The former Australia skipper said that it would be a difficult series for Australia with India a very settled side under Virat Kohli’s captaincy.

“India are playing very well at the moment and are a very settled side. Everyone is very comfortable in their roles. They are also playing a lot at home. “It is very hard to beat them at home and that has been proved in the last couple of years,” said Waugh during an interaction before the start of the Laureus Worlds Sports Awards.

“Virat Kohli’s leadership is also very contagious. The Indian players feel positive and they feel they can do anything. It seems that the new Team India can achieve anything,” he added. Waugh though felt that writing off the Australians, as Sourav Ganguly had recently said, would be completely “foolish”. — Agencies