Former England fast bowler Steve Harmison believes that Ravichandran Ashwin's importance to the Indian Test team hasn't reduced one bit.
In the ongoing Test series against England, which India lead 3-1 ahead of the fifth Test in Dharamsala, Ashwin hasn't had the sort of wicket-taking success that he has usually had on home pitches.
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Indeed, the 37-year-old off-spinner has picked up only 17 wickets in four Tests, averaging slightly over 30. In comparison, his overall career average falls below 24.
However, Harmison backed Ashwin to keep being an important player for India in the longest format. Remember, he is going to play his 100th Test match in Dharamsala, which begins on March 7.
MORE: Ashwin vs Kumble - Breaking down Test numbers of India's two greatest spinners ever
What did Steve Harmison say about Ravichandran Ashwin?
Harmison appeared in an episode of talkSPORT Super Over hosted by prominent cricket writer and analyst Jarrod Kimber.
Kimber asked Harmison, "Ashwin, 100th Test. There are a lot of people not coming into this series, but during the series saying he isn't bowling as well as he has. And he wasn't, right? I always say that there's a magical period when a spinner's body is still fully together and their brain is gone into overdrive, and the last 3-4 years he's been at that. It might just be now that his body can't get the same kind of revs that he used to get before. But when he was needed, he got wickets with straight balls because he still is R Ashwin. What an incredible career he has had."
Harmison provided his opinion on Ashwin's form in the series, but claimed that Ashwin was still as important to India.
Unbelievable career, 100 Test matches coming into it. I am not saying he hasn't bowled well in this series. I think he has bowled well in this series, he just hasn't got wickets. And it doesn't normally happen.
It's a little bit like Joe [Root]. You know you bat okay, you make a wrong decision, a poor selection from that execution point of view and then you get out. But you know for a fact there are runs coming around with Joe Root. It's the same for R Ashwin. R Ashwin was always going to take wickets. At some point, a big bag of wickets was going to come. And it was when his team needed him.
If Rohit Sharma didn't have R Ashwin, I am not sure he wins [the 4th Test] match because he needed to stand up and deliver. He got three wickets in a period where, if England had gotten 35-40 runs in that period without losing a wicket, the game was gone. They are not getting back. India aren't coming back from that. So that's what this champion does.
Everybody wants to hit him [for runs]. You do want to hit him because of what he's done and he's always that prickly character. He is the only man that's going to Mankad somebody on a pitch and you want to hit him. But you've got to admire him. He's an unbelievable competitor and a champion.
How has Ravichandran Ashwin performed in the Test series against England?
Ashwin reached the milestone of 500 Test wickets during India's 434-run win over England in the third Test in Ranchi. It was his 98th Test. He became only the second Indian cricketer (other one is Anil Kumble) to reach the landmark, and the second-quickest ever in all of cricket behind Muthiah Muralidaran.
| Matches | Wickets | Average | S.R. | Econ. | 5-fers | 10-wicket match haul | Best |
| 4 | 17 | 30.41 | 46.1 | 3.95 | 1 | 0 | 5-51 |
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