India’s spin twins –Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja — were on Monday adjudged as joint Player of the Series after India’s 2-1 Border-Gavaskar Trophy triumph for the hosts.
Off-spinner Ashwin was the leading wicket-taker in the series, with 25 wickets in four matches, including a six-fer in Ahmedabad. Left-arm spinner Jadeja, who made his comeback into competitive cricket, took 22 wickets. The duo has constantly run through visiting teams on Indian pitches for well over a decade now.
“It has been a great journey. We (himself and Jadeja) started a long time ago but we wouldn’t be the same or lethal enough without the other. We need to recognize that, at least I have started recognizing that over the last 2-3 years.”
“He gives me a lot of freedom to be creative with the ball, credit to him, I thought he bowled beautifully in the Delhi Test as well and that’s why we are here today. Jaddu keeps it really simple, he does not fret around or bother about what has happened,” said Ashwin in the post-match presentation ceremony.
Jadeja also had words of praise for Ashwin. “It feels good bowling with him. He (Ashwin) is passing on information. What field to have, how to bowl to a particular batsman. He is more of everything (either scientist or a bowler). He has a good cricketing brain. He knows every team in the world and every series that is being played.”
Ashwin also recounted seeing Jadeja being sad after chipping a drive straight to mid-on in Ahmedabad. “But I saw him sit in one place for an hour after he got out, so that told me how disappointed he was, and that came out today.”
Jadeja, too, expressed that he would like to get better with the bat in the future. “I am not too happy with my batting in this series. I missed out on a few occasions, especially on this Test. I will work harder and focus on my batting.”
Asked about the conversation he has with Jadeja while bowling in tandem, Ashwin revealed, “The conversations have been a lot more in the last 2-3 years because I know how to communicate and what are his likes, his dislikes and even knowing what will help him.”
“Even he has adapted beautifully to the chop and change, during the series when Head was going, Khawaja was playing, we had a lot of good conversations and some of them ended up with wickets and some of them are quite funny.”
