Team India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate has responded to Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson’s claim that ‘Mohammad Nawaz is the best spinner in the world’ during the ongoing Asia Cup 2025. Ryan ten Doeschate also said that Hesson is entitled to his opinion and can rank his players wherever he wishes.
India will face Pakistan in the Asia Cup clash on Sunday, September 14, at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. The two teams started their tournament campaigns with wins, respectively. Notably, India have dominated Pakistan in T20Is, winning nine of the 13 encounters, with one match ending in a tie.
Mohammad Nawaz Is the Best Spinner in the World - Mike Hesson
Ahead of Pakistan’s Asia Cup 2025 opener against Oman, Mike Hesson called Mohammad Nawaz, who is ranked 30th in the world T20I rankings, the best spinner in the world.
"We've got Mohammad Nawaz, who's the best spin bowler in the world at the moment, and he's been ranked that way over the last six months since he's come back on the side," Hesson said.
Nawaz has been in exceptional form over the past six months. He delivered a match-winning performance in the tri-series final against Afghanistan. Nawaz took five wickets, including a hat-trick, to guide Pakistan to a 75-run victory.
The left-arm spinner took 10 wickets in five innings. He won the Player of the Match and Player of the Series awards. Nawaz also made an impact in Pakistan’s opening Asia Cup match against Oman, taking a wicket as the team secured a comfortable 93-run win.
Everyone’s Entitled to Their Opinion - Ryan ten Doeschate on Mike Hesson's Remark
Ryan ten Doeschate said that every coach is entitled to their own opinion. He also stated that both India and Pakistan have strong spin options.
"I think spinners are going to be very important in this competition. If anything, I don't think it has gripped as much as we anticipated and certainly not like it did earlier in the year when we were here," said Ryan ten Doeschate in the pre-match press conference.
"But spin in general has become a very important part of T20 cricket, and both teams have a lot of spin on offer. And certainly we know how we feel about Varun, Axar and Kuldeep, so everyone's entitled to their opinion, and they can rank their players wherever they wish," Ryan ten Doeschate added.
Team India Relies on Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, and Varun Chakaravarthy
The Suryakumar Yadav-led team relies heavily on its spin trio of Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, and Varun Chakravarthy. Kuldeep and Axar played crucial roles in India’s 2024 T20 World Cup win, while Chakravarthy has made a remarkable comeback to international cricket.
Chakravarthy has become the highest wicket-taker in T20Is among full-member nations since his return, claiming 32 wickets in just 13 innings.
The spinners were the main architects of victory in India’s Asia Cup 2025 opener against the UAE, taking six wickets to dismantle the opposition. Kuldeep Yadav recorded figures of 4/7 in just 2.1 overs, while Varun Chakravarthy (1/4) and Axar Patel (1/13) picked up a wicket each.
Also read: Rishabh Pant all set to start push for West Indies Tests return at CoE
from Cricket Addictor https://ift.tt/D7ldyCo
0 Comments