Legendary Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon talked up the impact R Ashwin has had on his career, saying the Indian off-spinner would probably be one of his “biggest coaches”. Lyon and Ashwin share an incredible mutual respect, having been greats of the game, keeping the art of off-spin bowling alive in the era of T20 cricket.
Lyon has always maintained that he has learnt a lot from Ashwin, by watching the Indian off-spinner in action and from the conversations he has had with the veteran.
Ahead of the 2-Test series against Pakistan, Nathan Lyon is eyeing a major milestone as he is set to become the 8th bowler to pick 500 Test wickets and only the 4th spinner after Shane Warne, Muttiah Muralitharan and Anil Kumble to do so.
Lyon, 36, is likely to edge ahead of R Ashwin in the race to 500 as the 37-year-old Indian spinner has 11 more wickets to go. While Lyon will be in action in the Perth Test after having been named in the starting XI for the series opener, Ashwin is part of the Indian squad for the 2-Test series in South Africa, starting December 26.
“You look at Ashwin, he’s a world-class bowler and somebody I’ve watched closely from the start of his career We’ve gone head-to-head many times in different conditions around the world. I’ve got nothing but respect for Ashwin and the way he’s gone about it,” Lyon said on the eve of the Perth Test against Pakistan, as quoted by cricket.com.au.
“I’ve definitely learned from him. There’s an opportunity to learn from the people you play against, and without knowing it he’s probably been one of my biggest coaches in a way.
“It’s pretty amazing to see we’re both creeping up to that 500 mark, and we’ll see where we end up.
“Hopefully at the end of our career we’ll sit down and have a nice feed and a beer and talk about it,” he added.
RACE TO 500
Nathan Lyon had revealed before the Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test series earlier in the year that he had spent hours watching and analysing R Ashwin, so much so that he annoyed his wife at home.
Nathan Lyon has 496 wickets from 122 Tests while Ashwin has 489 in 94 Tests. Muralitharan holds the record for the fastest go get to 500 Test wickets (87) and neither Lyon nor Ashwin is going to break that mark. Both of them made their debuts in 2011 and have come against each other quite a few times in the past.
However, both Lyon and Ashwin have scripted their own legacy. While Ashwin shrugged off the white-ball specialist tag to evolve into one of the finest spinners and thinkers of the game, Lyon has found success in Australian conditions that are not always conducive to spin bowling.
Lyon will be returning to action after a long injury break. The off-spinner suffered a calf-injury midway through the Ashes in England earlier this year, but recovered in time to be ready for the home summer.
