3 Indian bowlers who could be looked at as successors to Ravichandran Ashwin

Ravichandran Ashwin has been one of the most vital members of India’s Test team in the last 4 years. He has picked up wickets in all conditions and has made key contributions with the bat.

Since his debut, nobody has taken more wickets in Tests than Ashwin. With 342 wickets, he sits comfortably at the top of this list.

He also has a strike-rate of 53.7; no modern spinner takes wickets at a faster pace than Ashwin. In games that India wins, his strike-rate drops to 45.0.

But in the last one year, Ashwin has missed 4 out of 12 overseas matches due to injury. And since his debut, Ashwin has not missed even a single home match due to injury – he has featured in each of the 38 home matches.

This raises a question whether Ashwin is trying to do things differently away from home, which is possibly straining his body and resulting in injuries.

Virat Kohli said that Ashwin has been told the areas which he needs to work on to improve his fitness record. But in a recent interview, coach Ravi Shastri stated that Kuldeep Yadav is ahead of Ashwin in the pecking order to play as India’s primary spinner in away Tests.

With Ashwin already not playing limited overs cricket and struggling as a spinner away from home, here we look at three top contenders who can potentially succeed Ashwin.

1. Jayant Yadav

Jayant Yadav has international experience on his side

The Haryana born off-spinner could be a like-for-like replacement for Ashwin. Much like Ashwin, Jayant Yadav is a classical off-spinner and a reliable lower order batsman.

Yadav made his debut against England in 2016 and impressed one and all with his all-round skills. In his debut match, he bagged the wickets of Moeen Ali and Ben Stokes with his guile, and also made substantial contributions with the bat.

In his third match, Yadav scored his maiden hundred which helped India clinch the series against England.

However, a stress fracture halted his career and he had to miss the 2017-18 Ranji Trophy season. Since his comeback, Yadav has featured in the Indian Emerging XI, India A, Indian President XI teams and has performed consistently.

In his recent outing for Indian President XI, Yadav's returns were 17/1 from 10 overs. With international cricket experience on his side, he could be a potential successor to Ashwin.

2. Kuldeep Yadav

Kuldeep Yadav could be the long-term successor to R Ashwin

Kuldeep Yadav grabbed the limelight when he picked up a hat-trick in the 2014 U-19 World Cup. Soon after that, he established himself in the Kolkata Knight Riders team at the IPL.

Now a permanent member of India's white-ball squad, Kuldeep has enjoyed tremendous success in the last two years. He has bamboozled several batsmen with his crafty left-arm wrist-spin, and promises to continue doing that.

Head coach Ravi Shastri has already mentioned that Kuldeep will be India’s first choice spinner in away Tests, in case India decides to play one spinner.

Kuldeep made his debut against Australia at Dharamshala, where he ripped through Australian batting line-up. But with Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja established as premier spinners, his chances came sporadically.

Recently, with Ashwin injured, Kuldeep got a chance against Australia in Sydney, and he claimed a five wicket haul. With the trend of wrist-spin on the rise, Kuldeep Yadav could be a long-term replacement for Ashwin.

3. Shahbaz Nadeem

Shahbaz Nadeem has 394first

classwickets

to his name

Shahbaz Nadeem has been plying his trade in domestic cricket for the last 15 years. Playing for Jharkhand, the left-arm orthodox has snared 394 wickets in 104 first class matches.

It was Harbhajan Singh earlier, and Ashwin and Jadeja now, who have blocked Nadeem's path to the national team.

Nadeem relies on flight and change of pace and is eerily accurate. Recently, he has added a chinaman delivery (one that goes away from the left-hander) to his bowling arsenal.

A consistent performer for India A, Nadeem has been knocking on the door for quite some time now. Last year, during the India A tour of England, Nadeem put up several good performances. In three first class matches against West Indies A and England Lions, he picked up 12 wickets.

If Nadeem can keep up his good work, he can enjoy a late surge in his career.