India’s world-class off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has heaped praises on Pakistan cricket skipper Babar Azam, wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan, and pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi.

“I’ve always been following Mohammad Rizwan and have been speaking about him for a while about the quality he brings and plays very crucial knocks but I think the standout batter & the ways he bats, the hundred in Australia, it has to be Babar Azam,” Ashwin said in a Q&A session on his YouTube channel,

He also shed light on the talent Pakistan has been producing. “After that real sticker that has been going around, Shaheen Shah Afridi is well, real talent. Pakistan has always some talented cricketers and they have more now,” he added.

It must be noted that all three cricketers played an integral part in beating India for the first time in a world cup encounter.

Men in Green beat India by 10 wickets in the T20 World Cup match in October where Shaheen Shah Afridi dismantled top-order while Rizwan and Babar struck fifties to chase a 152-run target.

Ravichandran Ashwin is one of the best cricketers in the world right now. He has made a name for himself with his magnificent performances for the Indian cricket team in red-ball cricket.

Ashwin also made a comeback to the Indian white-ball team in the T20 World Cup 2021 after captain Virat Kohli asked him to be added for the mega event.

During the ICC T20 World Cup 2021, the Indian cricket team battled the Pakistan cricket team in their first match. Many fans thought that Team India would continue their unbeaten streak against Pakistan in ICC T20 World Cup matches. However, the Men in Blue suffered a 10-wicket loss. Ashwin was not a part of the Indian playing XI that suffered a 10-wicket loss to the Men in Green.

In the interaction with his fans, Ashwin answered many interesting questions on YouTube. One of the fans asked him about his favourite current player from Pakistan to which Ashwin replied:

“I have always been following Mohammad Rizwan. I have been speaking about him for a while about the quality he brings in his knocks but I think the standout batter and the ways he bats, the hundred in Australia, it has to be Babar Azam. After that sticker that has been doing around, Shaheen Shah Afridi. Real talent. Pakistan has always had talented cricketers and they have more now.”

It is pertinent to note that Ravichandran Ashwin has not played an international match against Pakistan since the 2017 Champions Trophy. The right-arm off-spinner played in the 2017 Champions Trophy final against the Men in Green where he failed to pick up a single wicket. The Tamil Nadu star will be keen to take the field against Pakistan in the coming years.