Curtly, Ambrose, the former West Indies fast bowler has reacted to Sanjay Manjrekar’s comments on Ravichandran Ashwin, where the former India batsman had said that he does not consider the off-spinner to be an all-time great.
Sanjay Manjrekar’s take on Ravichandran Ashwin created an uproar on social media with many criticizing the commentator for his remarks on India’s premier spinner. Certain current and ex-cricketers had reacted to the matter, with the legendary Curtly Ambrose being the latest to give his take on it.
Curtly Ambrose Wonders How One Define Greatness
Sanjay Manjrekar was of the opinion that Ravichandran Ashwin’s lack of five-wicket hauls in pace-friendly conditions is the reason behind him not being an all-time legend of cricket.
“We all have our different opinions. We all look at greatness in different ways. Sanjay Manjrekar was a wonderful cricketer in his time. He has his opinion of that, we all have our views. But, how do you define greatness? That is a good question,” Ambrose told sports presenter Karishma Kotak on ‘The Curtly and Karishma Show’ on YouTube.
“Because sometimes, to be quite fair, we use the word greatness loosely. So, we have to be careful with how we define greatness. According to me, greatness is when a player can be very consistent over a period of time, for years, not one or two years.”
Currently ranked 2nd in the ICC Test rankings for bowlers, Ravichandran Ashwin has played 78 Tests, picking up 409 wickets at an average of 24.69. He holds the record for being the fastest to breach the 250, 300, and 350 wickets and is just 26 victims short of becoming India’s 2nd most successful bowler. 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.
Curtly Ambrose: One Can Be Judged Great On Basis Of Consistency Over The Years
Curtly Ambrose, who picked up 405 wickets from 98 Tests and 225 wickets from 176 ODIs for the West Indies, and was considered one of the best fast bowlers of his era, suggested that the best way to determine whether someone is a ‘great’ is to see the overall growth of a player since he first made an appearance.
In the case of Ravichandran Ashwin, the off-spinner is in his 11th year as an international cricketer and with 409 wickets – which makes him India’s fourth-highest wicket-taker in Tests – he surely is one of India’s best bowlers of all time. He also has the most five-wicket-hauls (30) by an Indian bowler in Test matches after the great leg spinner Anil Kumble (35).
“Some guys can come into international cricket, and for two or three years, set the world on fire. And, for the next six to seven years, they do nothing. You cannot really judge on the first two or three years. It is over a period of time, through a whole career. At the end of your career, you can be judged if you were great or good or average,” said Curtly Ambrose.