Former England all-rounder Moeen Ali has heaped rich praise on former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, calling him the finest cricketing brain he has encountered during his career.
Having shared dressing rooms with some of the game’s greatest minds, including MS Dhoni, Eoin Morgan and Ben Stokes, Moeen reserved his highest praise for Ashwin, which depicts the cricketing intelligence of the former India off spinner.
Speaking on the Beard Before Wicket podcast, Moeen said Ashwin’s tactical awareness and ability to think through different match situations set him apart from every other cricketer.
“Ashwin, by far. I think Ashwin is the best cricketing brain I’ve ever seen. I think nobody is close to him,” Ali said on the podcast.
The former England all-rounder explained that Ashwin constantly analyses every aspect of the game and possesses an extraordinary ability to anticipate situations before they unfold.
“The way he thinks about the game, the way he speaks about cricket, the way he analyses batters, bowlers and fields… everything. I don’t think I’ve met anybody who thinks about cricket like him,” he added.
Ashwin, who retired from international cricket after a glittering career, established himself as one of India’s greatest match-winners in Test cricket. The off-spinner finished with more than 500 Test wickets while also contributing valuable runs lower down the order, earning a reputation as one of the sport’s most innovative thinkers.
Moeen and Ashwin spent time together in the Indian Premier League and developed a mutual respect for each other’s cricketing acumen.
While Moeen has previously described MS Dhoni as one of the finest captains he has played under, this time he singled out Ashwin purely for his tactical intelligence and deep understanding of the game.
Ashwin, who retired for India in 2025, now plays in the franchise leagues across the world after retiring from IPL in 2026. The former India player also has his own YouTube channel where he shares his thoughts on a daily basis.