India tour of South Africa: Without Ravindra Jadeja, there is no R Ashwin, says veteran off spinner

India spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja are one of the biggest weapons for India in Test cricket. When they play together in home conditions, the duo form a lethal partnership for the Indian team.

In a shocking revelation, Ashwin has revealed that he has been envious of Ravindra Jadeja for a very long time. Speaking on Sportstar, Ashwin said that he has been envious of Jadeja’s ability to land most of his deliveries at the same spot and do well on the cricket field without overcomplicating things.

“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. 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,” Ashwin said on Sportstar.

However, Ashwin, one of the greatest spinners to ever play for India said that there is no Jadeja without him, and similarly there is no Ashwin without Jadeja. Ashwin said that the two players play a complementary role to each other and their success shows, how can one take a starkly different approach in the international game.

“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,” Ashwin said.

“For some reason, I couldn’t express this to him for a long time. But I found a way to express this to him. I think there is a constant tussle, even between us, about who’s even better than the other. But the fact is we don’t exist without one another,” he further added.

Ashwin had earlier spoken about how he overthinks everything in the cricket field. Ashwin had said that it was one of his main strengths and not one of his weaknesses.

“Without Jadeja there is no Ashwin, without Ashwin, there is no Jadeja but it doesn’t take away from the fact that he is extremely good at keeping it very simple and not overthinking it. I cannot put the ball the same spot or bat like how I do if I don’t be curious and if I don’t overthink. He cannot be who he is if he is constantly overthinking it. So this is a classic case of people plying similar trades and finding success in their own ways,” Ashwin concluded.