Cameron Green is a once-in-a-generation gamer, according to Ravichandran Ashwin

Ahmedabad: India’s series bowler Ravichandran Ashwin dubbed Cameron Green “a cricketer that only happens once in a generation” after he couldn’t find a tactical way past the 23-year-old all-rounder during his glorious first century of Testing in Ahmedabad.

There have been many Australian players ridiculed by Ashwin at various times in the series and Alex Carey was another on day two of the final Test when he ran a catch all too easily.

But in Green, who treated Ashwin commendably even under far more difficult conditions in Indore, Ashwin said the tourists had found someone who would track bowling attacks for many years – citing his $3 million IPL auction tag as proof.

“I hope you followed the IPL auction; It just tells you how the Indian cricket fraternity rates Cameron Green,” Ashwin said. “I think he’s a fantastic player. Just right for a person his height, nice levers, good feel, can bowl and hit the deck really well, moves around the field pretty well.

“You talk about one-off cricketers. We come from different countries – India is very different, we cannot protect such players for long. It’s run or perish. But in countries like Australia and England they do it pretty well. I expect Cameron Green to be a wonderful cricketer across the board.”

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Ashwin humbly admitted there had been no planning around the ball down the leg, which Green eventually fired with a faint glove touch on an attempted sweep shot. Up to this point, Ashwin has had to work with the meager support that the Ahmedabad surface gave him.

“He has his strengths and you want to stay away from his strengths. Clearly from what he saw in Australia – I played a practice match against him at the Drummoyne Oval in Sydney,” he said. “From there I’ve watched him hit, how well he moves to balls outside, how well he comes down the pitch, how he sweeps the ball coming into the subcontinent.

“As a bowler, it’s my duty to control all of these things and also try to make a plan to make him uncomfortable. It wasn’t a place where many things went for me. So I had to use the scrambled seam, drift whatever was available.