Australian off-spin legend Nathan Lyon has showered lavish praise on India's ace off-spinner R Ashwin as the Border-Gavaskar Trophy is set to get underway from November 22 onwards. In a committed interview with Star Sports, Lyon talked about how his rivalry with Ashwin has been brewing over the years, speaking really highly respectfully about the Indian offie's abilities. While both Lyon and Ashwin started their careers in roughly the same time, the two have just maintained a cordial yet fierce competition over the years. Ashwin only recently achieved the big milestone of 500 Test wickets during India's series against England, while Lyon has taken 530 wickets in his Test career. Their careers have fallen along eactly similar lines and make them two of the finest off-spinners in modern cricket. With the Border-Gavaskar Trophy only a few days away, fans are quite excited to see another chapter in this rivalry between Nathan Lyon and R Ashwin. Both the spinners will find this five-match series very crucial as far as their performance could play a huge difference in the outcome of the series. In an interaction with Star Sports, Lyon Said: "I know Ashwin and we debuted around similar times and we've competed against each other in several series now and between me and Ashwin I have got nothing but respect for him. I feel like I love watching him bowl, he's an absolute master in the craft of off-spin bowling and it's been an absolute privilege to play against him and learn off him." Lyon acknowledged Ashwin's skill and shared his excitement to play against the Indian team, which he referred to as full of superstars. He said that a challenge against the best, of which Ashwin is one, has always kept him going throughout his career. He further added: "I've always said throughout my whole career I want to compete against the best and you look through the whole Indian line-up, the whole squad, there's absolute superstars everywhere you look and you want to compete and challenge yourself against them." If that wasn't enough, Australia's batting star Marnus Labuschagne spoke to Star Sports. He commented specifically on India's powerful fast-bowling attack by saying that India's pace bowlers do well in Australian conditions and are a great challenge. Labuschagne said: "To these two teams, it doesn't matter where we're playing, if it's in England, Australia, or India, it's always a tough contest. India's fast bowling is very good, which is really what brings them into Australian conditions and makes them such a tough team to beat in Australian conditions. Hopefully this summer we can turn the tables on India and put them under real pressure." With both teams oozing talent and determination, the Border-Gavaskar Trophy is bound to be a closely contested series, full of spice. Also Read | Most Runs in All Format in 2024 - T20I, ODI, And Test