Sun Sep 22 09:50:53 UTC 2024: ## Bangladesh Cricketer Tamim Iqbal Lauds Ravichandran Ashwin’s “Immense” Contribution to India
**Chennai, India:** Bangladesh batsman Tamim Iqbal has heaped praise on Indian all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin, calling him just as vital to the Indian team as the likes of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
Ashwin had a sensational performance in the first Test against Bangladesh at his home ground, the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. He scored a brilliant century (113 off 133) in the first innings, rescuing India from a precarious position. He then followed it up with a match-winning six-wicket haul (6/88) in the second innings, restricting Bangladesh to a low total and securing a dominant victory for India by 280 runs.
“That was brilliant what he did,” Iqbal said on Jio Cinema. “He was batting like a proper batter. We only talk about [Kohli and Sharma] when they do well, when they get the hundreds, they get five or six wickets. But their contribution to this Indian team is immense. It’s as big as Rohit as big as Virat Kohli.”
Ashwin’s performance included reaching a significant milestone – he now shares the second spot for most five-wicket hauls in Test history with legendary Australian spinner Shane Warne, with 37 each. He also surpassed West Indian legend Courtney Walsh in the list of leading wicket-takers in Tests, climbing to eighth place with 522 wickets from 101 matches.
Ashwin’s brilliant performance marked his fourth instance of scoring a century and taking a five-wicket haul in the same Test match, placing him second only to Sir Ian Botham, who has achieved this feat five times. The off-spinner was also awarded the Player of the Match for his second consecutive time at his home ground and his tenth overall in Test cricket.
First Piper 