After thrashing India by 8 wickets in Adelaide, the Australians now gear up for the Boxing Day Test that kickstarts on December 26 in Melbourne. Ahead of the upcoming clash, premier Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon spoke upon his comparison with Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin.

During a virtual press conference ahead in Melbourne, the Aussie cricketer heaped praises on Ashwin, stating the that the latter stands out with his variations.

“Ashwin is a world-class bowler, to be honest. I have watched him a lot especially when I had gone to tour India and the subcontinent to try and learn of him. But he is a very cagey bowler, he has got all the variations,” Lyon said at a virtual presser ahead of the second Test.

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Lyon further expressed that both of them – he and Ashwin – are yet different type of bowlers. Hence, comparison shouldn’t be made between the two.

“He’s very cagey with the way he changes his pace, so he is a very talented bowler. We are similar in a way but we are very different as well, so I can’t really compare myself to him. I think his records speak for his own, so hats off to Ashwin,” said the 33-year-old off-spinner.

Earlier, Ashwin also conveyed his thoughts on getting compared with Lyon. The Indian off-spinner stated that saying drawing parallels between two players with similar traits can at times get exaggerated.

“I think every spinner is different. I think sometimes things can get blown out of context when comparisons are made with how one approaches his trade in comparison with the other. Even in this Test, Nathan and I bowl very differently. We are both very different bowlers. Successful in our own way,” Ashwin had said.

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Ashwin has been India’s premier off-spinner, who has taken 370 wickets from 72 Tests. Lyon himself is close to touching the milestone of 400 Test wickets. He has taken 391 wickets from 97 Tests.