Ravi Ashwin or Anil Kumble? Zaheer Khan names India's biggest match-winner in Tests

Zaheer Khan has picked India's biggest match-winner in Tests between Anil Kumble and Ravi Ashwin.

Anil Kumble was probably India's greatest spinner who represented the country at the highest level in the previous generation. He was one of the best of all time, competing with the likes of Muttiah Muralitharan and Shane Warne and not less than them in terms of impactful performances both at home and away. Meanwhile, Ravi Ashwin is another Indian spinner who has carried that legacy forward.

The veteran off-spinner is probably the best in the business when it comes to the longest format. He is climbing the ladder and has already marked his name as one of the best spinners in the game. But who is the best match winner for India in test cricket? Is it Ravi Ashwin or Anil Kumble? Former Indian pacer Zaheer Khan, who played with both spinners, shared his view on this comparison.

Watch: Zaheer Khan picks Anil Kumble over Ravi Ashwin as India's biggest match-winner in Tests

Anil Kumble retired with the most international wickets for India. In tests, he is the leading wicket-taker, with 619 wickets in 132 tests during his career. On the other hand, Ravi Ashwin has overtaken Harbhajan Singh to become India's second-highest wicket-taker at international level. In Tests, he has 487 wickets in 94 matches. Both are excellent bowlers of their time, but when asked about the biggest match-winner among these two on Jio Cinema, Zaheer picked Kumble.

Zaheer said, "I will always inclined towards Kumble because whoever you have played with you have that little bit of edge towards that person. You will always fall on that side of the debate. But having said that, the SENA countries are something which is the next challenge for Ashwin. Kumble also actually has been able to do that in different conditions. So that, one lacking point may be, whenever you talk about Ashwin or the area for him to tick the box in performing well in SENA countries."

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Notably, Kumble has been India's most successful bowler in SENA countries where there are no spin-friendly pitches to offer. He has 141 wickets to his name in these conditions, while Ashwin has taken 70 wickets in his career in SENA countries. Zaheer said that once Ashwin can prove himself a challenging bowler in such conditions, he can definitely surpass Anil Kumble.