Yesteryear India stars Sunil Gavaskar and Kris Srikkanth have called Ravichandran Ashwin an "absolutely terrific cricketer" and attributed his success to tremendous self-belief and support from former BCCI president N Srinivasan.
Ashwin was felicitated by the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) on Saturday for playing in 100 Tests and reaching 500 wickets.
Speaking on the occasion, Srikkanth said, "If Ashwin has played 100 Tests and taken 500 wickets, one man responsible for that is sitting here as the chief guest - N Srinivasan.
"It is a fantastic achievement for Ashwin. His self-belief is one of the prime reasons for his success. Well done Ashwin. Congratulations." The legendary Gavaskar too lauded the senior India off-spinner, terming him a "terrific cricketer".
"I congratulate Ashwin on reaching the landmark of 100 Tests and 500 Test wickets. He's had an absolutely terrific career in all formats of the game, especially in Tests.
"Wishing him all the best for his future. We don't know when he hangs up his boots, but he has been an absolutely terrific cricketer," said Gavaskar.
Ashwin began his IPL career with Chennai Super Kings in 2008 and remained there until 2015, winning two titles.
CSK is owned by India Cements and Srinivasan is the company's managing director.
Ashwin's India and Tamil Nadu teammate Dinesh Karthik too had words of appreciation for the current world No. 1 bowler in Tests and called him an inspiration.
"What a journey it has been! Phenomenal and outstanding, especially the fact that he has become the first Tamil Nadu player to do so. He (Ashwin) will be an inspiration to many other cricketers not only in Tamil Nadu but around the world as well.
"What he has achieved, we all should embrace it, enjoy it and be as happy as possible for a man who has toiled and has constantly been so innovative. He has pushed the boundaries in all formats and pushed his body too.
"Surreal effort, and superhuman at times. Good luck with all your future endeavours. It's been an honour and pleasure to share the dressing room with you and be part of the success as well," said Karthik.
Also hailing Ashwin was former India opener WV Raman.
"He has contributed his cricketing talent with a lot of other attributes. He worked hard on his athleticism to ensure that he performed at the international level.
"His thirst for learning all the time sets him apart from the rest of the pack. Also, he had great faith in his own methods. Wishing him all the very best for his future." Ashwin was handed a cheque of Rs 1 crore by the TNCA, along with mementoes made out of silver and gold for his two recent achievements.
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