From Waqar Younis–Wasim Akram to Saqlain Mushtaq–Mushtaq Ahmed, it is a success formula that bowlers hunt in pairs. The pair that best exemplifies it—hunting in a pair—in modern cricket is the spin duo from India, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. India has also been blessed with spinning combinations in the past: who can forget Harbhajan Singh-Anil Kumble wrecking sides in a matter of hours!
As India readies to play the mighty Australians, in an interview to a leading daily, Ravichandran Ashwin said, “Jadeja is one who will not give anything away. That gives me the luxury to extend my imagination a lot more. There are pockets of the game when we don’t get wickets and that is the time when I try to make things happen.
“During the Kanpur Test against New Zealand, Mitchell Santner and Luke Ronchi were going very well. Jadeja was bowling a tight line and I bowled a ball outside the leg stump of Santner and got him to nick to gully on a slow pitch. Those are exactly my strengths. When I don’t offer the same things over and over again, they try to do things to get the runs away and then they make mistakes. So Jadeja and I, bowling the way we do, creates opportunities for each other,” he added.
Ashwin, who has lately improved his batting, spills his blueprint against Australia with the bat. He said that he has been a little unlucky not to have got more hundreds recently. “I have batted really well but haven’t got the three figures. But I am not thinking too much because if you do that you will start getting desperate. I am enjoying this phase of my career and I don’t want to overburden myself by thinking about numbers,” the offie noted.
Ashwin, who has recently achieved the landmark of being the fastest bowler to take 250 wickets in Test, will hold the key against the Australians, who would be looking for nothing short of a victory.
