South Africa cricketer Tristan Stubbs took a cheeky dig at India star spinner Ravichandran Ashwin on the social media platform X (formerly twitter).
Stubbs commented under a post which Ashwin had made in which the spinner shared his thoughts about the upcoming one-off Test match between Afghanistan and New Zealand in Greater Noida, India.
Ashwin who is known in the cricket community not only as a greater off spinner but also a knowledgeable commenter, also runs an active YouTube channel where he regularly does interviews and analysis about the game.
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What did Ravichandran Ashwin say about the Afghanistan vs New Zealand Test Match in Noida?
The one-off Test match hosted by the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) in Greater Noida is historic because this will be the first meeting between the Afghans and the Blackcaps in the red-ball format.
After the announcement of the Afghanistan squad for the Test series, Ashwin took to X and said that “this one-off Test will be fun to watch.” and discussed about the future prospects of some of the talented Afghan players.
“We know Afghanistan produce insane talent but the one area of solidity and stability they need is from their batting department. They have Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmat Shah oozing class but not much else to follow, and that is why I am excited to see what RIAZ HASSAN and BAHIR SHAH have to offer. Both of them are promising and their first-class averages are in excess of 55,” Ashwin posted.
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Looking at the talent, and particularly talking about youngsters Riaz Hassan and Bahir Shah, he noted that Afghanistan has all the signs of becoming a great Test cricket nation, comparing their progress to India during the early 2000s.
“The first signs of India’s strong future came via Yuvraj Singh and Mohammed Kaif in the 2000’s as they came through the U-19’s, that is why these 2 players could give us a sneak peek into what Afghanistan may go on to accomplish in the next decade or so,” he added.
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What did Tristan Stubbs comment about Ravichandran Ashwin’s analysis?
Commenting under Ashwin’s post, Tristan Stubbs took a sarcastic dig, which was meant as a praise, for the Indian spinner, saying: “Ravi Ashwin talking Cricket is a Genius speaking his art.”
Ravi Ashwin talking Cricket is a Genius speaking his art
— Tristan Stubbs (@iTristanstubbs) September 7, 2024
Ashwin in return, replied with a laughing emoji.
Stubbs who has been a part of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in recent seasons has seen Ashwin’s exploits up close during his time in India.
Moreover, several former South African players including AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis have been mutual admirers of the Indian’s innovations, knowledge and street-smartness on the field, as a spinner.
During a podcast interview last year, de Villiers made a remarkable statement, calling Ashwin a potential GOAT in the future.
“I faced him many times, and he always surprised me, impressed me. He has evolved his game over the years to make both left and right-handed batters really uncomfortable. This makes him the GOAT (Greatest of All Time) to some. Let him get a few more wickets, then we can surely call him the GOAT. What a bowler, what a match-winner for India.”
The one-off Test match between Afghanistan and New Zealand is scheduled to begin on Monday, September 9 at Greater Noida. Here is a quick guide on how to watch the Test match from India and information regarding free entry to the stadium in Noida.
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