Ravichandran Ashwin may be an accomplished spinner — he has 442 Test wickets — but that doesn’t mean there is no room for improvement, says Rajasthan Royals’ director of cricket Kumar Sangakkara.

Ashwin picked up 12 wickets from 17 games for the Royals in the just-concluded IPL.

“Ash (Ashwin) has done a great job for us,” Sangakkara said on Sunday. “Being a legend in terms of what he has achieved on the pitch, there will be a lot of improvements and thinking to do, especially with his off-spinners.”

Captain contender

Star all-rounder Hardik Pandya has emerged as a strong contender to lead Team India in the near future, Sunil Gavaskar believes, going by his Gujarat Titans leadership in their debut season.

The 28-year-old had a subdued outing in the T20 World Cup last year, but taking the Titans to title triumph on Sunday has made everyone sit up.

“Yes definitely. Not just my estimation, but everybody’s estimation (Hardik’s reputation as a leader has gone up),” Gavaskar told Star Sports. “When you have leadership qualities, it automatically opens the door for honours at the national level.

“So that’s exciting, there are 3-4 other names in the ring. I am not saying he is the next in line. But for the selection committee to have that option is fantastic,” the legend added.