England prepare for trial by India’s testing Ravichandran Ashwin | Rob Smyth
On current form the spinner, who has developed a Glenn McGrath-like knack of removing the opposition’s best player, is a captain’s dream – a stock strike-bowlerHow good is Ravichandran Ashwin? To some the question is rhetorical, to others interrogative. After another spectacular performance against New Zealand, he is No1 in the ICC Test bowling rankings, and will surely make life very unpleasant for England’s batsmen this winter. Yet this is not a straightforward case of a spinner achieving greatness. The enormous disparity between his record at home and abroad means that Ashwin is often disparaged by one little phrase: rough-track bully.His overall record is astonishing. He has taken 220 wickets in only 39 Tests, and has won four consecutive man...