Former Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal claimed that R Ashwin is underrated as a batter after his brilliant hundred on day one of the Chennai Test on September 19, Thursday. Ashwin got to his 6th Test hundred on Thursday off just 108 balls as his knock consisted of 10 boundaries and 2 sixes. Ashwin was aggressive with his approach and stitched together an impressive partnership with Ravindra Jadeja to save India from a tough spot.
Speaking ahead of the start of Day 2’s play, Tamim was asked if Ashwin was the true all-rounder. The former opener said that Ashwin doesn’t look like a tailender when he comes out to bat and looks like a proper batter. Tamim pointed out to some of the shots Ashwin played during his innings and said the balance and bat swing shows Ashwin is a far better batter than he is given credit for.
“Definitely. I think we can talk about his bowling, his records, his achievements all day. We all know how good he is with the ball, but I personally think he is a very underrated batter. As a batter, he might be averaging 26. But when he comes to bat, he doesn’t look like a tailender or a bowler. He looks like a proper batter. The shots that he plays, the balance, the bat swing. I think he’s very, very underrated as a batter and he has become a crisis man for India recently,” said Tamim.
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What Ashwin said about his hundred
Ashwin commented about his hundred and said that it was better go all out on a surface like at the Chepauk hard like Rishabh Pant. Ashwin said he was enjoying himself on Day one.
“On a surface like this, it’s better to go hard like Rishabh does. It’s an old-school Chennai surface with bounce and carry. When there is width, you can give it a tonk. I love playing when there is bounce and carry. I enjoyed myself today,” Ashwin added.
Ashwin will be aiming to add more runs to India’s tally on Day 2.
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