Nathan Lyon vs Ravi Ashwin: Who is the world's best off-spinner?

Ashwin’s Big Home Advantage

Under Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni's captaincy, Ashwin has got very dry pitches to bowl on in India

India has always been a great place for spinners. But Ravichandran Ashwin is even luckier than his spin-bowling predecessors regarding the conditions he plays in.

Around the time Ashwin made his debut, India suffered humiliating whitewashes in England and Australia. After these losses, then captain MS Dhoni decided that in order to save his captaincy and get some victories, he needs square turning wickets. Dry pitches and three spinners became the Indian method of securing wins at home.

Though the plan backfired in the home series against England in 2012 that India lost 1-2, Dhoni persisted with this strategy and so did his successor Virat Kohli.

So, Ashwin has played his cricket in an era where pitches in India have been dustbowls most of the time. These tracks have certainly played a role in boosting Ashwin’s record. Hence, his lead over Lyon in basic stats also has a lot to do with the conditions he has played most of his cricket in.

But how has Lyon fared in these conditions? While Ashwin has a strike-rate of 49.2 and average of 22.68 at home, the Aussie off-spinner’s comparative stats are 51.7 and 30.58 which are far from being as loaded in favour of Ashwin as the same stats are in favour of Lyon in Australia. This is another reason why one shouldn’t get carried away by the simple stats.