'Greatest Indian Test Opener After Gavaskar, Sehwag’: Ashwin On Recently Retired Star

The legendary India bowler has given a massive compliment to his ex-Tamil Nadu and India teammate.

India's Ravichandran Ashwin celebrates after the dismissal of Australia's Matt Renshaw (not pictured) during the third day of the first Test cricket match between India and Australia at the Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) Stadium in Nagpur on February 11, 2023.

Source : AFP

Legendary India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is known to speak his mind. He is not one of those who would hesitate to express his opinion. Whenever Ashwin feels strongly about an issue, he makes sure to put it out there. And now Team India's trusted bowling all-rounder has given a massive compliment to his ex-Tamil Nadu and India teammate.

In a column for ESPNCricinfo, Ashwin rated recently-retired India cricketer Murali Vijay as the best opener for the country in Test matches outside of Sunil Gavaskar and Virender Sehwag. Statistically, that is hard to argue against. Vijay happens to be the only cricketer other than Sehwag and Gavaskar to score more than 10 Test centuries as an opener- a record testimony to how he was one of India's best during the time he opened for India.

Murali Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara haven't been celebrated enough: Ravichandran Ashwin

Ashwin said that Vijay isn't celebrated enough much like Cheteshwar Pujara.

"M Vijay, according to me, is the greatest opener for India outside of Sunil Gavaskar and Virender Sehwag," Ashwin wrote.

"Vijay and Puji are quite similar in that they haven't been celebrated enough. They also had some of the most hilarious arguments. They used to do the most difficult job in Test cricket - play out the new ball in testing conditions, as we tend to need to do whenever we go abroad - so it is par for the course to have a few eccentricities emerge from that kind of partnership," he explains.

"They could spend a whole session break arguing over a call that Puji wouldn't have responded to. Vijay would try to get others to back him, but Puji would stay firm and say, "There was no run." You can get witnesses and evidence and attorneys, but Puji never changes his mind. Nor does he get frustrated with these debates," the 36-year-old revealed.

Both Pujara and Ashwin are currently part of India's Squad for the ongoing Test series against Australia while Vijray is looking for opportunities to play competitive cricket around the world after announcing retirement from Indian cricket.