”At Melbourne, Australian opener Usman Khawaja was clearly impressed by the Indian on-field opponent, spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, calling him a bowler with strategic thinking. ” Khawaja said that Ashwin, who is the third highest wicket-taker among the Indian bowlers in the Test matches in Australia, excluding Kumble and Kapil dev, is a thinker who approaches the game in his own manner.
More so, he has been very resourceful in bilateral series where he has 114 wickets and 7 five-wicket hauls as his ability. “Ravi is a very good bowler. He always has a plan,” Khawaja said while fielding questions by Star Sports. “I greatly regard him as a cricketer, and it is always a pleasure to bat against him. ”
This upcoming series will be Ashwin’s fifth Test tour of Australia, where he featured during 2011/12, 2014/15, 2018/19, and 2020/21, although he was plagued with injuries in the last two tours.
On the other hand, Travis Head, an important cricketer for the Australian team who plays for Sheffield Shield, stated that though India is on a roll for dominating Test series, he does not necessarily consider India an unbeatable team for Australia. “I wouldn’t say they’re my favorite,” he said when asked about the nature of the matchup, noting that the games are quite stiff.
The much-awaited five-Test series will commence on November 22, and India will look to continue with the Border-Gavaskar Trophy winning spree they have done in the last four series.
