Is Lyon better than Ashwin in Test cricket?

Ravichandran Ashwin capped off a great Test Match at his home ground Chepauk, on Saturday, shinning with bat and ball.

With 37-five wicket hauls, he went past Australian counterpart Nathan Lyon for the most fifers in Test cricket. He is now tied with the late Shane Warne for joint second-most five-wicket hauls in Tests. 

Former England spinner Monty Panesar, reckons that this stat aside, Lyon scores above Ashwin in the best spinner sweepstakes.

Panesar believes Lyon is a better bowler than Ashwin because of the dominance he has imposed in Australia, where spinners struggle to find assistance from the pitch.

"I think I see Nathan Lyon in my opinion. Yes, he is a better bowler. But I think Ashwin is a better bowler in India," Monty Panesar told ANI in an exclusive telephonic interview.

Both experienced spinners have made a reputation for their incredible craftsmanship with the ball. Lyon has 530 Test wickets from 129 matches with an average of 30.28 while Ashwin has 522 Test wickets from a 101 matches at an average of 23.70.

Panesar points out that Ashwin's ability to bat helps him think like a batter, which serves as his biggest advantage.

"I think he thinks like a batter when he bowls. He is able to pick out the weakness and he can exploit it, and that is his biggest advantage. He bats really well when he bowls; he knows what the batters are thinking," Panesar said.

Panesar, however, feels that Ashwin would not fit into England's current Test Cricket set-up. He says that England's need for experimentation won't open up space for the 38-year-old in the Three Lions set-up.

"They experiment more. If Ashwin was English right now, then they would have told him to retire because they want to bring youngsters who have the potential to play. But I think England experiments more, and they like to experiment," Monty said.

Ashwin, 38, is ageing like a fine wine as he continues to walk into the twilight of his career. The seasoned off-spinner who has an array of skills in his arsenal, showed his potential to contribute with the bat in the opening Test against Bangladesh in Chennai.

In a dire situation, Ashwin lifted the spirits of the Indian team in front of his home crowd with a splendid 113 (133) in the first innings. On Day 3 and 4, when the surface started to assist the spinners offering extra bounce and turn, Ashwin claimed a six-wicket haul while giving away 88 runs in his 21-over spell during India's emphatic 280-run victory.