"There could be a 'Choutha'" - Ravi Shastri on Ravichandran Ashwin ahead of IND vs ENG Test series

Former India head coach Ravi Shastri expects veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin to play a pivotal role in the Men in Blue's upcoming five-match home Test series against England.

Shastri suggested that England should be ready for Ashwin, who will have many tricks up his sleeve. The cricketer-turned-commentator also cracked a joke about the seasoned campaigner's new haircut.

During a chat on Jio Cinema, here's what Shastri said about Ashwin:

"Ashwin just mentioned, I am going to get up do better. Now that he has had this haircut and his brain is free, with the air going through, now can you imagine what all he is thinking? There could be a 'Theesra', there could be a 'Choutha'. England will find out very soon, in the next couple of months."

Ravichandran Ashwin is currently ranked World No. 1 in the ICC rankings for Test bowlers. The crafty spinner has a fantastic record against England in red-ball cricket, having bagged 88 scalps from just 19 matches.

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Ravi Shastri won the Lifetime Achievement award at the BCCI awards

Ravi Shastri won the CK Nayudu award for lifetime achievement at the BCCI awards on Tuesday, January 23, in Hyderabad.

Expressing his delight at receiving the prestigious award, Shastri recalled some of the most memorable moments of his playing career and coaching tenure. He said:

"It is a special evening for me. I think picking one would be difficult. But I will just go very quickly. You showed one that the 1985 final vs Pakistan was special in Melbourne. 1983 when India when the World Cup. But in commentary, 2007 when they won the T20 World Cup and 2011 when MS hit that ball for six. Two back-to-back wins in Australia. But the icing on the cake was the last day at the Gabba when Rishabh Pant took us past the finishing line."

It is worth mentioning that, along with Ravi Shastri, former wicketkeeper-batter Farokh Engineer also received the CK Nayudu award (2019-2020) at the event.