"I respectfully disagree with Mr. Manjrekar" - Abhinav Mukund defends Ravichandran Ashwin as a 'legend of the game'

Tamil Nadu batsman Abhinav Mukund has 'respectfully disagreed' with Sanjay Manjrekar's comments about Ravichandran Ashwin not being a 'legend of the game'. Mukund argued that the off-spinner is a meticulous planner, a 'fantastic' performer and has enough records to back him as a legend.

In a recent interaction with ESPNcricinfo, Sanjay Manjrekar flagged Ravichandran Ashwin's lack of five-wicket hauls in pace-friendly conditions and his inability to perform better than his teammates in India.

Abhinav Mukund refuted the claims on Monday, saying that one should look at Ravichandran Ashwin's overall impact, including during the tour of Australia last year, and his 'several world records' before judging.

"I read an article today where Sanjay Manjrekar said that 'I disagree that he is a legend of the game'. I have to respectfully disagree with Mr. Manjrekar and say he is a legend of the game because he holds several world records. The accusation towards him is that he’s never performed in SENA countries. But I think he had a fantastic tour to Australia. If you look at it that way, and if you just look at the number of five-wicket-hauls he’s taken and what an impact he’s been to as a leader, he’s probably one of the legends of the game in my opinion at least," Mukund told stand-up comedian Sorabh Pant on his YouTube channel 'Wake Up With Sorabh'.

Currently ranked 2nd in the ICC Test rankings for bowlers, Ravichandran Ashwin has played 78 Tests, gleaning 409 wickets at an average of 24.69. He holds the record for being the fastest to 250, 300 and 350 wickets and is just 26 victims shy of becoming India's 2nd most successful bowler.

‘All- time great’ is the highest praise & acknowledgement given to a cricketer. Cricketers like Don Bradman, Sobers, Gavaskar, Tendulkar, Virat etc are all time greats in my book. With due respect, Ashwin not quite there as an all-time great yet. 🙏#AllTimeGreatExplained😉

— Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) June 6, 2021

Ravichandran Ashwin was also the most successful spinner on the tour down under, with his 12 wickets from three games coming at just under 29 apiece.

"Ravichandran Ashwin just needs to be one of those very well-prepared individuals" - Abhinav Mukund

Abhinav Mukund

Abhinav Mukund also talked about Ravichandran Ashwin's penchant for planning and preparation for every game. He said that the 34-year-old spinner 'just loves the game' and it shows in his execution on the field.

"He just loves the game. Ashwin is actually a guy who will research everything there is to cricket. He just needs to be one of those very well-prepared individuals who go on to a cricket field and that kind of shows in the way he has performed, especially in Test match cricket. He’s been fantastic," Mukund, who has played 7 Tests for India, added.

Ravichandran Ashwin will be seen in action in the much-anticipated World Test Championship final on June 18 at Southampton.

I’m actually glad Manjrekar said what he said about Ashwin because now we’ll watch him get that 5 wicket haul in the final 😂

— sonali (@samtanisonali1) June 6, 2021