"I hope that he breaks Kumble's record" - Nikhil Chopra wants R Ashwin to be India's leading wicket-taker in Tests 

Nikhil Chopra wants Ravichandran Ashwin to overtake Anil Kumble's tally of 619 Test wickets. The off-spinner became India's second-highest wicket-taker in the longest format after scalping his 435th wicket in the first Test against Sri Lanka in Mohali.

The 35-year-old dismissed Charith Asalanka to move past former all-rounder Kapil Dev for the second spot on the list. Ashwin reached the landmark in his 85th Test match. He has an imperious record on home soil and has been a vital cog in the Indian side since his debut in 2011.

Feeling that Anil Kumble would love to have a spinner breach his record, Chopra said on the Khelneeti podcast on YouTube:

"I hope that R Ashwin breaks Kumble's record, because Kumble would be wishing that a spinner breaks his record. Just like Kumble, Ashwin has developed a reputation to win matches for the team at home. He started his career as an off-spinner, but now he has so many variations to set the batter up."

Chopra added:

"Another thing is that if Ashwin keeps on performing like this and taking wickets, it will be good for Indian cricket. It will be good for Ravindra Jadeja as well, these two hunt in pairs. Just like Kumble-Harbhajan was a dangerous pair, Ashwin-Jadeja is also a formidable pair."

Ashwin picked up six wickets in the mammoth innings victory over Sri Lanka in the first Test in Mohali. He will face a different challenge, in the form of the pink ball, in the second Test of the series.

"This Test was totally for Ravindra Jadeja" - Nikhil Chopra

After recovering from an injury that forced him to miss the South Africa tour, Ravindra Jadeja displayed one of the greatest solo performances in the history of the game. The 33-year-old scored an unbeaten career-high 175 in the first innings, before taking 9 wickets across both innings with the ball.

Acknowledging the improvement in Jadeja's batting since 2018, Chopra said:

"Jadeja is an exceptional player. If you look at his batting post-2018, he is averaging over 60, which shows his ability to bat with the tail with responsibility."

Chopra concluded:

"He is anyway a magician with the ball, the batter has very little chance while facing him. No loose deliveries, keeps the pressure constantly on. This Test was totally for Ravindra Jadeja."

The all-rounder has evolved to be India's most important player across all formats of the game. He was adjudged the player of the match for his historic display in the first Test.