Ashwin has 20 scores of fifty or more in Tests, three more than Sir Richard Hadlee, while recording the same number of five wicket hauls as the great Kiwi in the format (36 five wicket hauls), solidifying his status as one of the format's greatest all-rounders.
Nayar believes that the whole team has bought into Rohit and Gambhir's philosophy, including the two spin greats.
Going into the penultimate game of the rubber, the pressing question is whether to tweak their conservative approach and bolster the spin department by playing left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav at the cost of a spin all-rounder.
Obviously, we miss Ashwin but one day Jadeja will also be gone: Ravindra Jadeja
Bhai, tune kya batting kiya hai, kamaal ka batting kiya tune'
'I guess the thinking going into the last Test, we wanted to strengthen the batting'
India included two debutants -- Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy -- while leaving out Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.
Karun Nair has managed only 131 runs across six innings at a below-par average of 21.83, in the first three Tests against England.
Rohit's struggles continued during the first ODI in Nagpur, where he managed just 2 runs off 7 balls, though India secured a four-wicket victory.
Former Indian cricketer Mohammed Kaif hailed opener KL Rahul following his century against West Indies at Ahmedabad, saying that his biggest strength is "belief and hard work" and slammed his critics for 'changing opinions' after few great innings.
'I wanted people to know me for who I am, because a lot of times, Ashwin's picking up a wicket and Virat Kohli is all over the place.'
'He's just jumping about, and people very often tend to believe that Ashwin's the one that's absolutely serious and Virat's the one that's having all the fun.'
Ashwin is focused on taking it one day at a time.
The overwhelmingly bowler-friendly Melbourne pitch on which 20 wickets fell on Day 1 of the Boxing Day Test has prompted Kevin Pietersen and Dinesh Kartik to point out the selective criticism of Indian tracks when spinners get wickets in a heap.
Key players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravindra Jadeja are expected to consider stepping away from the Test format to make way for a new generation of talent.
Shubman Gill joined an unwanted list following the loss to Australia in the first ODI at Perth, becoming the second Indian skipper after Virat Kohli and overall ninth captain to lose their first matches in all three formats as captain.
Rohit Sharma became the seventh Indian to complete 100 catches in One-Day Internationals, while young speedster Harshit Rana went level with decorated spinner Ravichandran Ashwin for the record of most wickets for India after a player's first eight ODIs, in the third and last match of the series against Australia, in Sydney, on Saturday.
Cheteshwar Pujara refuses to believe India's recent poor record at home is because of transition.
Mitchell Starc has paid a glorious tribute to the just-retired India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin
During the first Test against England in Hyderabad, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja surpassed the iconic pair of Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh as the most successful Test bowling duo for India.
Former Australia wicketkeeper and captain Tim Paine doesn't regret sledging Ravichandran Ashwin during the third Test of the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Speaking on The Great Indian Cricket Show on Doordarshan, Mukund, who represented India in seven Tests from 2011-17, said: "I think Shubman has it in him to become an all-format captain, but I do not think India should have an all-format captain anymore."
Earlier this week, the duo arrived in Perth with the first batch of the team and practised relentlessly in the nets.
Even Ravichandran Ashwin on his YouTube channel had said that both of them might need to play a bit of domestic cricket to get into the groove and could have actually played the India A series.
Spin great Harbhajan Singh said India don't have a specialist off-spinner for Test cricket.
Never thought I would be back in India in million years, this feels surreal: Harmer
Ashwin was seen taking bowling lessons of the support staff in an indoor net facility.
The once familiar sight of nimble-footed, whippywristed Indian batters dominating spin looks a distant memory, replaced by the horror of watching South Africa off-spinner Simon Harmer wreak havoc by taking 17 wickets over the two Tests.
Following his match-winning spell and century against Bangladesh in the first Test, Indian all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin opened up on idolising legendary spinner Harbhajan Singh during his junior-age cricket days and replicating his bowling action during matches.
'Constant changes to the playing XI, batting orders, and frequent rotations prevent stability.'
'Dear @ashwinravi99, your cricketing achievements have brought joy to 1.4 billion Indians. Wishing strength and well-being to your family during this challenging time.'
India's T20 World Cup squad had space for only 15, but the pool of quality options ran far deeper. The consequence was inevitable: several players with genuine claims were left on the outside, the unlucky ones who narrowly missed the cut.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded spinner Ravichandran Ashwin on Friday for the "extraordinary milestone" of taking 500 Test wickets.
'This will be a testing time for Indian cricket. And I'd say this truly marks the beginning of the Gautam Gambhir era.'
Growing up, he sharpened his skill watching videos of West Indian spinner Sunil Narine and Indian legend Ravichandran Ashwin. He was fortunate to meet Ashwin during a stint with KKR in the IPL.
Former India off-spinner R Ashwin revealed he considered retiring after his 100th Test but ultimately decided to call it quits during the tour of Australia.
'When you are playing on spin-friendly pitches, you need to prepare differently.'
Ashwin's performance earned him praise and humour from fans online. Many playfully acknowledged his transformation from a renowned bowler to a reliable middle-order batsman.
He is the fourth men's cricketer to be invited for the ceremony after Sachin Tendulkar, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Virat Kohli.
Ashwin unhappy with Rishabh Pant withdrawing Rathi's run-out appeal against Jitesh
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