Ravichandran Ashwin stars in Worcestershire's victory against Leicestershire

What's the story?

Ravichandran Ashwin might not have been selected for Australia's tour to India but he is enjoying his stint with county cricket.

He enjoyed a great outing with the ball in Worcestershire's latest victory against Leicestershire at home which took them to the top of the table.

Ashwin ended with five wickets to his name in both the innings combined and scored a well-crafted 44 in the first innings as well. He was also at the crease when the winning runs were hit in the second innings.

With this win, Worcestershire are on top of the table with 216 points in 13 matches.

In case you didn't know...

Shortly after Ashwin was rested for the ODI series against West Indies, he decided to travel to England to take part in the rest of the county season.

He made an impact in his very first match for Worcestershire, picking up eight wickets as his side steamrolled Gloucestershire by 189 runs.

However, he did not pick up any wickets in his second match, against Nottinghamshire. In fact, he did not even bowl in the first innings due to the nature of the pitch.

The details

Ashwin has picked up 13 wickets so far in three matches at an average of 33.46 and has also scored 132 runs at an average of 33.

Worcestershire have a chance to win the County Championship as they are currently on top of the table. However, Nottinghamshire, who are second on the table have one game in hand and could overtake the current table toppers.

Ashwin's Indian teammate Cheteshwar Pujara is a part of the Nottinghamshire squad and will look to topple his teammate.

Worcestershire will most probably have to win their last game in order to win the Championship.

What's next?

Worcestershire will take on Durham in their final game of the season while Nottinghamshire will take on Northamptonshire and Sussex in their final two games.

Author's take

A lot of people were questioning Ashwin's ability to pick up wickets outside India and he has given them the perfect response with his performance so far.

This county stint of his will help him next year when India tour England. He will also look to make a comeback to the ODI squad later this year when Sri Lanka tour India.

County cricket has helped a lot of Indian cricketers in the past and the current bunch should also be encouraged to get exposed to these foreign conditions.