In SENA, his role in a team with excellent quicks, is not to have standout performances. It is to have consistently good ones. Admittedly, he hasn't had very consistently good ones, but that is called being a finger spinner in SENA. Even Murali didn't manage this.I am not arguing Ashwin is rubbish in SENA. He has been poor in SA, decent in England and good recently in Australia. I also think he was robbed of a good opportunity to get a standout performance in England in 2021 when he was not selected.
Just arguing his record as it stands shows a conspicuous lack of standout away performances in SENA that you would need to qualify as an ATG. I think we agree. The fifer thing is just a signpost of wicket taking ability. Even a long spell one would be at least something to hold your hat on.
I'm less opposed to analysis by checklist than most posters on this site. I have no problem with you disqualifying a guy who averaged almost 40 in SENA on this basis. I might do it myself. Honestly, I think that almost everyone, even those who think that Ashwin is an ATG, would not be too opposed to it. People just get annoyed by the rigidity with which you do it, and the degree with which you beat particular players for micro statistical flaws in their records. I say this as a person for whom stats are >>> observations, so I really should be on your team.