Bangladesh national cricket team star Tamim Iqbal has heaped praise on Indian national cricket team all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin after his heroic performance in the first Test. He said that he had always heard about Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma but the spin bowler is equally important for the team.

The Indian national cricket team came out on top in the first match of the two-match Test series against the Bangladesh national cricket team. They won the match by a massive margin of 280 runs, earned important points for the World Test Championship and also went 1-0 up in the series.

The main factor that propelled India to win the first Test of the series was Ravichandran Ashwin. The all-rounder put in a sensational performance with bat and ball at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, which was also his home stadium, and he saw his family there to watch the match.

Ravichandran Ashwin shone under pressure for his team and scored a magnificent century in the first innings when India was reeling at 144/6. From there, he bailed the team out of trouble and ensured that he took them to a total of around 380 by adding 199 runs in partnership with Ravindra Jadeja.

Ashwin scored his sixth Test and finished with 113 runs off 133 balls, along with 10 fours and 2 sixes in his innings. He displayed superb strokeplay and put the team in a dominant position.

After that, Ashwin put in an astonishing effort with the ball. The off-spinner took 6 wickets with the ball and helped India win the game. He returned with the figures of 6/88 as the hosts razed the opposition by 234 runs to win the game by a huge margin.

Ravichandran Ashwin also jumped to the eighth spot in the list of those who have taken the most wickets in Test cricket. He surpassed Courtney Walsh’s mark of 519. Thanks to his great efforts with the bat and ball, he also won the Man of the Match award in the first game.

What I always hear is Virat Kohlis and Rohit Sharmas, but Ravichandran Ashwin is equally important to me – Tamim Iqbal

Tamim Iqbal was in awe of Ravichandran Ashwin’s effort in the first Test. The former Bangladesh captain said that people always talk about Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, but the all-rounder is as big as the two great batsmen. Speaking to Jio Cinema, he explained:

“What he did was brilliant, he was batting like a real batsman. I come from a different country. I always hear about Virat Kohlis and Rohit Sharmas, but Ravichandran Ashwin is equally important to me.

“Because we only talk about them when they do well, when they get hundreds, they get five or six wickets. But their contribution to this Indian team is immense. It’s as big as Rohit and Virat Kohli.”

India has a 1-0 lead in the series and is now eager to win the second match of the series. The match will be played on September 27 at Green Park in Kanpur.