5 best off-spinners in cricket today

1. Ravichandran Ashwin

Ravichandran Ashwin already has 26 five-wicket hauls in only 51 Tests

Perhaps the most threatening of the lot, Ravichandran Ashwin is currently the shining star of the Indian team, especially in Asian conditions. Ashwin has all the weapons available in his repertoire: the off-spinner, the doosra, the flipper, the carrom ball and the top spinner. His immaculate rise in the longer format since 2015 has almost bewildered most viewers.

Often accused of trying too many variations in the early part of his career, Ashwin benefited from focusing on solely the off-spinner, which turns into the right-hander while drifting away from the left-handers, and keeping the carrom ball only as a surprise element.

He outfoxed Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and West Indies in their own backyard, though found life tough on the hard, pacy wickets of South Africa, England and Australia.

But a sharp brain coupled with a good height has enabled Ashwin to repeat match-winning performances and produce magical spells, often smashing records on the way.

There came a time when he had to adjust his action to suit his style, but he only got better with time.

He already brags of 26 five-wicket hauls in Test cricket after featuring in merely 51 matches, and at the speed at which Ashwin is racing – he is only fourteen away from a triple century of wickets – he is bound to touch great heights, much like his predecessors Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble.