Know the player whom Ravichandran Ashwin called the "Kohinoor of Indian Cricket"

Ravichandran Ashwin (Pic: File Pic)

Team India's all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin hailed pacer Jasprit Bumrah by calling him "Kohinoor of Indian cricket."

Jasprit Bumrah was one of the stars from the first Test match against Bangladesh. He bagged a total of five wickets including a four-wicket haul in the first innings. Since his return to international cricket after injuries, the pacer showcased his skills in the ODI World Cup 2023 and has been delivering the best performances in recent memory.

Since his return to international cricket in August last year, Bumrah has been the leading wicket-taker across all formats with 83 scalps in 34 games at an average of 15.43 and best figures of 6/45. He has taken two five-wicket hauls and delivered incredibly well during the Cricket World Cup 2023 (20 wickets in 11 games at an average of 18.65, fourth-highest wicket-taker), Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 (20 wickets in 13 matches at an average of 16.80, third-highest wicket-taker) and the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 (15 wickets in eight matches at an average of 11.86, second-highest wicket-taker and Player of the Tournament).

Speaking on his Hindi YouTube channel, Ashwin hit back at people for trolling Bumrah for declaring himself as the "fittest" player in the team recently at an event, saying that the pacer can say whatever he wants to.

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"Jasprit Bumrah is a fast bowler. He keeps bowling 145 km/h. He is a crowned jewel of Indian cricket. He is the Kohinoor diamond of Indian cricket. Let him say whatever he wants. After Kapil Dev, has there been an Indian bowler bigger than Bumrah?," said Ashwin on his channel.

Ravichandran Ashwin urged people to give Bumrah the credit for maintaining his pace even after making a return after stress fracture.

"People want to say that he got injured, how is he the fittest cricketer? There is a lot of difference. One is a tipper lorry and one is a Mercedes-Benz. Mercedes-Benz can be driven carefully, it's chauffeur-driven. Tipper Lorry has to move from north to south with so much load. A fast bowler is a tipper lorry, they will break down. He has come back from a stress fracture and is bowling at 145 km/h. Give him credit," Ashwin added.

The Chennai Test match was one of India's first out of 10 matches of the upcoming season. It also boosted their confidence for the further matches.

Ravichandran Ashwin's all-round performance was a highlight, but the team also benefited from Ravindra Jadeja's gritty 86 in the first innings. Ashwin and Jadeja combined for a 199-run partnership, rescuing India from a precarious 144 for 6 and propelling them to a commanding 376.

India continued to dominate with Jasprit Bumrah's brilliant bowling, which dismissed Bangladesh for 149. In the second innings, comeback players Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill each scored a century, further solidifying India's position as they took the team to a score of 287/4, setting a target of 515 runs for the visitors, which they failed to chase thanks to a six-fer by Ashwin that skittled them out for 234 runs.

The second Test will be played in Kanpur from September 27 onwards.

(With ANI Inputs)