5 reasons why Nathan Lyon is at par with R Ashwin

#3. Performance against the best

The Asian batsmen are considered to be the best players of spin. Lyon's stunning performances against the Asian batsmen reflect his greatness.

The off-spinner took 22 wickets in two Tests against Bangladesh and grabbed 19 wickets against India earlier this year. In both these series, in eleven innings he produced five five-wicket hauls.

He has 64 wickets against India in Tests, the second highest by any spinner and his strike rate of 57.2 is highly effective. These numbers suggest the impact he has made against the best sides in the world.

In the recent years, Bangladesh's rise in Tests has been phenomenal and they have pulverized most of the overseas teams that toured them. Batting is one area where the Bangla tigers have completely dominated their opponents and overseas spinners have returned home with little or no success.

England's Adil Rashid paid close to thirty runs for his every wicket and leaked runs at 3.81 runs per over. Mitchel Santer, the promising spinner from New Zealand took a wicket every 17 overs while Simon Harmer from South Africa picked a wicket every 20 overs.

Lyon, on the contrary, has been on the top against Bangladesh and averages a mere 14.31 and grabs a wicket every seven overs.