NEW DELHI: On the verge of becoming the only fourth spinner to register 500 wickets in Test cricket, veteran Australia spinner Nathan Lyon on Wednesday said that he sees an unlikely 'coach' in Indian contemporary Ravichandran Ashwin and has learned a lot from him over the years.
Both Lyon and Ashwin started their Test careers in the same year in 2011 and have 496 and 489 wickets respectively in the longest format.
Returning to Test cricket after suffering a calf injury during the Ashes earlier in June, Lyon highlighted the influence Ashwin has had throughout his career as he sees the India veteran as an inspiration rather than a rival.
"You look at Ashwin, he's a world-class bowler and somebody I've watched closely from the start of his career," Lyon was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au.
"We've gone head-to-head many times in different conditions around the world. I've got nothing but respect for Ashwin and the way he's gone about it. I've definitely learned from him. There's an opportunity to learn from the people you play against, and without knowing it he's probably been one of my biggest coaches in a way. It's pretty amazing to see we're both creeping up to that 500 mark, and we'll see where we end up. Hopefully at the end of our career we'll sit down and have a nice feed and a beer and talk about it," Lyon added.
All set for a return against Pakistan in the Perth Test, starting Thursday, Lyon is just 4 wickets away from becoming only the third Australian after legendary Shane Warne (708) and Glenn McGrath (563) to enter the exclusive '500 club'.
Later in December, India's Ashwin too is likely to feature in the two-Test series in South Africa, where he too will be eyeing the 500-wicket mark.
