One of India's prominent Test batsmen of his generation, VVS laxman believes spinner Ravichandran Ashwin will be the country's key player in the upcoming grueling home campaign, which will see the host play 13 Test matches against some of the biggest names of world cricket.
Famed for his batting supremacy, the stylish former batsman believes Chennai off-spinners' ability to perform under pressure with both bat and ball will be a crucial aspect for his team.
"He is the most valuable player," started the former great from Hyderabad, before adding, "But, I won't say he is an all-rounder."
The owner of 17 Test hundreds, laxman does not want to add extra pressure on Ashwin shoulders every time he steps on to the middle to bat.
"I like to recognize him as a frontline spinner, a frontline bowler, who can also contribute with bat. So there is no pressure to get an hundred every time he gets to bat. But, he is capable of doing that like we saw in West Indies," he added referring to the two hundreds the former Chennai Super Kings bowler scored in the recent Caribbean series.
"He is not only technically equipped to play under pressure, but mentally he is capable to play as a batsman under pressure. He is a match winner - he is for the big occasion," he added during a promotional event by broadcast partner Star Sports.
However, India's 1983 World Cup winning captain Kapil Dev had a different opinion to laxman's views. Even though the former all-rounder believes Ashwin will be a key player, he does see him as a true all-rounder.
"From the Australia series, I figured he is a captain material - he is truly an all-rounder," he said before emphasizing his point clearly, "He is a bowling all-rounder."
"He is a bowler but he is dependable at No 7 and No 8. He can change the game quickly. He can pick up like five wickets in the space of five overs," he added.
In the last Test series in West Indies, Ashwin scored two hundreds - in the first and last Test match. It was his fourth Test hundred and coincidentally all of them have been scored against the team from Caribbean.