On Kohli vs Bumrah 'Fittest Cricketer' Debate, Ashwin's 'Tipper Lorry' Take

The Indian cricket team fans found themselves in a heated debate over Jasprit Bumrah snubbing Virat Kohli while choosing the "fittest cricketer in the team". In a recent interaction, Bumrah picked himself over Kohli as the answer of the question and said that he wants to put his name forward in order to promote fast bowlers. However, the answer sparked a big internet war between the fans of both the star cricketers. Veteran India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was asked about the debate and he asked the fans to not make a big deal out of this discussion before calling Bumrah the "crown jewel of Indian cricket".

 "Why do you want to make a big deal out of it? Jasprit Bumrah is a fast bowler who bowls at 145 kmph in this heat. He is the crown jewel of Indian cricket like the Kohinoor diamond. Let him say whatever he wants. Just accept it," Ashwin said on his newly-launched YouTube channel 'Ash Ki Baat'. 

"People will immediately say that how can Bumrah be the fittest cricketer if he got injured. There is a huge difference between a tipper lorry and a Mercedes Benz. The Mercedes Benz needs to be handled with care as its parts are very costly. A tipper lorry will have to travel long distances without rest."

"A fast bowler is like a tipper lorry. It breaks down sometimes. However, even after so much stress, Bumrah came back and bowled at 145 kmph. Give some credit to him," Ashwin added.

Meanwhile, a dominant India tightened their grip on the top spot in the World Test Championship table with a 280-run victory over Bangladesh, while Sri Lanka saw off New Zealand in Galle to help their move towards a potential spot in the final at Lord's next year.

The two results have led to shifts in the race for the two final spots, with Sri Lanka leapfrogging their current opponents into third spot.

India's win in Chennai and the 12 WTC points reasserts their status at the top of the table, moving to a percentage of 71.67%, extending their lead on Australia in second (62.50%).

Bangladesh, who had jumped to the fourth position following an exceptional 2-0 win against Pakistan, drop to sixth place place (point percentage of 39.29%) behind Sri Lanka and England after the defeat.

(With PTI inputs)