IND vs SA 2022: "Can't look at him as a replacement or backup to Hardik Pandya"- Rajkumar Sharma on Ravichandran Ashwin

Former Delhi cricketer and Virat Kohli's childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma claimed that although India's Ravichandran Ashwin is a handy all-rounder, his batting cannot be compared to that of Hardik Pandya.

Ashwin has played quite a few utility knocks of late, especially for the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL 2022 season. He has also, at times, walked out to bat at No.3 as a pinch-hitter in the powerplay.

However, Rajkumar Sharma believes that Pandya's hard-hitting ability can't be compared to that of Ravichandran Ashwin. He told India News Sports:

"Ashwin can make a decent contribution with the bat and he has done so in many T20s. But you can't look at him as a replacement or backup to Hardik Pandya. If you need 50 runs from 4 overs, you will back Hardik to do it and not Ashwin. So I feel both of them are unique in their respective roles."

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Rajukmar Sharma on Ravichandran Ashwin's sensational figures in 1st T20I

Sharma hailed Ravichandran Ashwin for his astonishing figures of 0/8 off four overs against South Africa in the first T20I at Thiruvananthapuram. Although the off-spinner couldn't take any wickets, conceding just eight runs in four overs was a monumental achievement, according to Kohli's childhood coach.

On this, he stated:

"Ashwin bowled incredibly well and brought all his experience to the fore. To get those kind of figures despite the team losing half their side shows why he is in India's T20 World Cup squad. He is excellent against the left-handers, but can also bowl well to right-handers and it will be interesting to see how he fares in the big grounds in Australia. He has definitely made a strong claim to start as India's first-choice spinner."

Has Ashwin done enough to get the nod ahead of Yuzvendra Chahal in Team India's first-choice XI? Let us know in the comments.