Ravichandran Ashwin: “Agha Salman should be mentioned first – what a player he is”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has heaped praise on new Pakistan T20I captain Salman Ali Agha, saying “what a player he is”.
Salman has become an integral member of the national team as he has scored plenty of runs in the middle order.
Recently, the 31-year-old was in action in Pakistan’s ODI tri-series against New Zealand and South Africa, and made 219 runs in three matches, which included a career-best 134, at an average of 73.
He followed that up with 61 runs in two games in the 2025 Champions Trophy at an average of 30.50.
Salman continued to impress during Pakistan’s white-ball tour of New Zealand as he struck 167 runs in five T20Is, which included two fifties, at an average of 41.75 and a strike-rate of 135.77.
As for the three-match ODI series, he ended up with 78 runs, which included a top score of 58, at an average of 26.
“Agha Salman should be mentioned first – what a player he is,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel as quoted by A Sports.
Most recently, Salman had been in action for Islamabad United in the 2025 Pakistan Super League (PSL) before the tournament was suspended indefinitely due to the ongoing border tensions between Pakistan and India.
In the six games he played, he accumulated 117 runs at an average of 23.40 and a strike-rate of 130.
Bowling-wise, he claimed one wicket at an average of 44 and an economy rate of 8.80.
Islamabad United Squad for PSL 10:
- Platinum: Matthew Short, Naseem Shah, Shadab Khan (captain)
- Diamond: Imad Wasim, Azam Khan, Jason Holder
- Gold: Ben Dwarshuis, Salman Irshad, Salman Ali Agha, Haider Ali
- Silver: Andries Gous, Colin Munro, Mohammad Nawaz, Rumman Raees
- Emerging: Hunain Shah, Saad Masood
- Supplementary: Riley Meredith, Rassie van der Dussen
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