R Ashwin vs Nathan Lyon: England batter Joe Root points out difference between two great spinners

England's star batter Joe Root spoke at length on the difference between two modern-day great spinners in R Ashwin and Nathan Lyon. Ashwin recently returned to his usual best with a five-fer in India's fourth and penultimate Test versus England, in Ranchi, which the home side won by five wickets. Lyon, on the other hand, led the charge in his side's 172-run victory over hosts New Zealand at theBasin Reserve, Wellington with a ten-wicket haul (also top-scoring with a 41 in Australia's second innings). Root, thus, highlighted the difference between the two in a recent interaction ahead of the fifth and final Test versus India in Dharamsala.

Speaking on Sky Sports podcast, Root said, "I'd say, Ashwin is making sure that you don't play the previous ball. He is very good at trying to drag you across the crease and get your head to one side of it and beat both edges quite frequently." The former England Test captain further opined, "With Lyon it is all about, I think, especially in the first half of the Test match to get really over the top of the ball, get bounce bowl in between you like the knee roll and hit and try to bring short leg and leg slip into the game as much as he can and then just slowly, get slower with his pace and drift wider into that. There's that footmarks, um, Mitchell Starc has so kindly done for him for such a long period of time."

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He added, "Whereas Ashwin is probably slightly trying to find ways of getting you out rather than trying to wear you down, over long periods of time. That's how I've always tried to approach them. Be trying, trying to be clear, right, because that's how they're generally gonna operate."

Lyon recently became the seventh-highest wicket-taker in Tests during his side's first Test win over NZ in Wellington. The Aussie off-spinner has 527 wickets in 128 Tests. Meanwhile, the 37-year-old Ashwin has 507 scalps (ninth-most) from 99 games. The upcoming Dharamsala Test between India and England will mark Ashwin's 100th match in the format. He will be eager to make a mark in his landmark Test and help India win the series 4-1 after an unassailable lead in Ranchi.