Ravichandran Ashwin calls Rangana Herath a role-model

Ravichandran Ashwin is touted as the hot favorite to get close to the legendary numbers amassed by Muttiah Muralitharan during his whole career. He falls way short of Muralitharan when it comes to ODIs, but in Tests, taking into consideration the way he’s going, one can never take the risk of predicting the future outcomes.

Talking of Muralitharan, one person who always remained in the shadow of this wizard from the Emerald Isle is Rangana Herath. The canny left-arm spinner is arguably one of the finest the game has ever seen. Though he became a regular in his early 30s, Herath managed to join the elite club of cricketers with over 400 Test wickets.

Talking about his match-winning performance on Day 5 against Pakistan in the first Test, Ashwin called Herath as one of his role models. Herath ripped the Pakistani batting lineup apart, helping Sri Lanka defend a paltry 135-run target. He picked up 6 wickets in the innings and by picking the final wicket in the innings, he completed 400 Test wickets.

Herath keeps proving he’s a champion

Talking to Gulf News, after launching Gen-Next Kings’ Cricket Academy at the Kings’ School, Ashwin said that age does have a significant impact on one’s body but Herath’s performances keep amazing him. “Rangana Herath is one of my role models. I think he is a fabulous bowler. He just overcomes limitations every single day.”

“Age does wear the body out over a period of time. As far as Herath is concerned, he just keeps proving that he is a champion cricketer and he can use pressure to his good advantage. That is exactly what he did on the final day of the first Test,” Ashwin said.

When a reporter asked a cheeky question suggesting if his importance in the side has diminished after getting rested, he said he’s not in charge of taking these decisions and he can’t voice his opinion on this.

“I don’t have an answer to that because resting [a player] and making decisions are definitely not something that I can comment on because I am not the one that is in charge and I am not the one who is responsible for making these decisions. So very clearly. as far as I am concerned, every day is about being better than what you have been previously,” He suggested.

“I am definitely focused on developing every single day and becoming a better cricketer because that is the only thing that will last. Tomorrow, if I am given an opportunity, I should be the best I can be and probably even the better than the best that I can be,” he concluded.