'Jadeja, The Cricketer I Most Envy' - Ravichandran Ashwin Praises Spin Twin
Ashwin and Jadeja form one of the most lethal spin pairings ever (Twitter)
Ravichandran Ashwin heaped one of the greatest compliments on premier spin all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja by revealing he feels envious of his longstanding spin twin. Ashwin, who is one of the bona fide legends of the game in his own right, said Jadeja is one cricketer he wishes he could've become but can't.
The great off-spinner based his remarks on Jadeja's relentless accuracy as a spinner across formats, especially Tests, where his skiddy nature and subtle variations embolden his threat as a left-arm spinner and have transformed him into one of the genuine stalwarts of Indian cricket.
Having just finished the ICC World Cup 2023 as India's best spinner before being named vice-captain in T20Is for the upcoming trip to South Africa, Jadeja heads into the Test series versus the Proteas with a whopping 275 wickets taken in 67 Tests at an average of 24.07 and economy rate of 2.43 with 12 five-wicket hauls.
Not just with the ball, Jadeja has been a match-winner with the bat, too, and is currently hailed as arguably the best Test match all-rounder. Since 2017, the left-hander has been averaging a highly impressive 43.46 with the bat across 42 Tests and emerged as a genuine, dependable No.7 for India.
Ashwin Expresses 'Envy' For Ravindra Jadeja
It reflects on Jadeja's rapidly grown stature as a robust cricketer that his allround utility allows India the freedom to bench even Ashwin in overseas Tests on pitches where they require a fourth seamer to play. That, despite Ashwin himself boasting of 489 Test wickets and averaging 27.22 as a batter with five centuries in the format.
"One person that I am always envious of, I am not a jealous person, but I'm very envious of this one person, not anybody else," Ashwin said in a conversation with Sportstar.
"The greatest cricketer at this point of time, the most sellable cricket of the most attractive cricketer today is Virat Kohli. However, the most envious I am of one cricketer is Ravindra Jadeja."
Renowned for his spin expertise and open mindedness to vary his bag of tricks at the delivery stride, Ashwin said Jadeja's ability to keep things simple and hit one spot consistently without releasing the pressure is something he can't physically replicate.
"Ravindra Jadeja's journey and my journey are extremely contrasting. Ravindra Jadeja can put a ball on the same spot day in and day out be extremely athletic on field and keep it extremely simple with the bat and be a million dollars on most days. I cannot do that," he added.
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