Ravichandran Ashwin (L) and Ravindra Jadeja© X (Twitter)
Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja have already established themselves as two of the most significant spinners for the Indian cricket team in the past couple of decades. Their partnership has been significant for India on multiple occasions and both of them feature in the Top 10 list of the highest wicket-takers for the national side. While both generally bowl at tandem in home conditions, Jadeja is mostly picked over Ashwin when it comes to overseas Tests. In a recent interview, Ashwin was asked about how he deals with that and he replied - “You are talking about Jealousy”.
Ashwin went on to heap major praise on Jadeja as he called him the “most talented cricketer” he has seen.
“Jadeja is the most talented cricketer I’ve seen; everything about him is natural. Over the years, our relationship has improved as we’ve learned to understand each other’s differences. I tend to think a lot, whereas he does not. Understanding took time, but now we have a strong working relationship,” Ashwin said during an interview with Vimal Kumar on YouTube.
The veteran spinner also made it completely clear that he has no jealousy towards Jadeja and even said that it is a “conditioning we need to overcome”.
“It’s not Jadeja’s fault that I’m not playing. I don’t have the kind of jealousy where I would wish to keep him out just to play myself. The notion of jealousy is a conditioning we need to overcome,” he explained.
In the interview, Ashwin further said that it is important to have proper communication with players who are not playing for the national squad in order to avoid any misunderstanding.
“It’s crucial to handle players who are not playing with clarity and reassurance. If someone is replaced, it’s not about fault but about opportunity and team dynamics,” he said.
“The focus should be on internal inspiration rather than external comparisons,” Ashwin added.
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