Ravichandran Ashwin will finish as one of the greatest ever: Deep Dasgupta

After missing out on the World Test Championship final, Ravichandran Ashwin made a strong comeback, picking up a sensational five-for in the opening Test against the West Indies in Dominica. Courtesy of his phenomenal partnership with Ravindra Jadeja, West Indies managed to post only 150 runs on the board, as India are totally in control of the match after Day 1. 

Meanwhile, lauding Ashwin for his exceptional spell, former India cricketer Deep Dasgupta stated that the cricketer has all the traits to finish as the greatest ever. He spoke about the many varieties that the Chennai-born cricketer has in his arsenal and added that West Indies batters looked pretty ordinary in front of him in the first innings in Dominica.

“The difference in the class of Ravichandran Ashwin the bowler, and the (West Indies) batters was evident. He would have been disappointed not to be a part of the final, but leaving the disappointment behind, he came and was a thorough professional and did what he does,” Deep Dasgupta told ESPNcricinfo.

“He (Ashwin) has so many varieties in his armoury, but he also knows when to use it. It's one thing to have these variations and it's another thing that you know when to use it. He is undoubtedly among the modern-day greats and once he finishes his career, he will finish as one of the greatest ever,” the cricketer added.

India trail by 70 runs after Day 1

After a bowling masterclass, India’s openers looked in great form as skipper Rohit Sharma and debutant Yashasvi Jaiswal gave a perfect start with the bat. The youngster started slowly but once he got into the mood, he played some brilliant cricket, finishing the day on 40*.

Rohit meanwhile was under pressure ahead of the match as his decision to drop Ashwin from the WTC final backfired and his batting in the longest format of the game too was under the scanner. However, the 36-year-old looked sharp as India scored 80 without losing any wicket on Day 1.