Australia National Cricket Team players, including Travis Head, Steve Smith, Nathan Lyon, Usman Khawaja and others, picked the best India National Cricket Team spinner between Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. The premier off-spinner got the majority of votes.
Both Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja have been two of the best all-rounders produced by the India National Cricket Team. They have been the backbone of the team in the longest format of the game for the last decade, and their contribution to the game has been immense.
Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja have been the major reason behind the dominance of the India National Cricket Team in Tests. The kind of impact that they have made for the team has been immense, and this isn’t limited to bowling only, as they have been staggering with the bat as well.
Both Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja are unique in their skill set. While the off-spinner is known for his variations and tactical brilliance along with his adaptability across conditions, left-arm spinner accuracy and all-round capabilities make him different.
Probably for me, Ashwin – Travis Head
There often has been debate related to who is best among the duo. The debate was settled by the Australian players ahead of the third Test between the teams. For Travis Head, it’s Ravichandran Ashwin, as, according to him, he is the hardest to face.
“Probably for me, Ashwin, someone with a couple more tricks and being a lot taller and a lot quicker. Yeah, I think he’s probably the hardest.” Travis Head said in a video posted by Cricket Australia.
I don’t reckon Jadeja’s got me out here – Steve Smith picks Ravichandran Ashwin as best spinner
Steve Smith also picked Ravichandran Ashwin ahead of Ravindra Jadeja, highlighting that the off-spinner has removed him even in Australian conditions. While elaborating on the skills of the spinner, he added:
“Ashwin’s got me a few times here. I don’t reckon Jadeja’s got me out here, but I think Ashwin, in these conditions, he’s just got great skills. He changes the way he bowls from surface to surface; he bowls what’s needed.
“He gets over the top of the ball when he needs to. Can come underneath the ball and reads the batter well, so yeah, I’ll go with Ashwin.”
Josh Hazlewood also picked Ashwin, stating: “I think it would be Ashwin. I hate right-arm off-spinners. Being a left-hander, I’m not good against much, but right-arm off is annoying. But Ashwin’s pretty crafty as his record suggests.”
I always find facing Ashwin a good challenge and I think that’s why he’s been so successful – Usman Khawaja
Usman Khawaja rated Ravindra Jadeja’s skills highly but claimed that Ravichandran Ashwin is the cagiest. He stressed how the off-spinner reads the minds of batters and added that facing him is challenging. He added:
“Jadeja’s got a very good skill set. He’s like a metronome. He just goes bang, bang, bang, time and time again. You see Ashwin’s the cagiest. He’s the one who’s thinking out there. Every time I faced Ashwin, he’s trying to think what I’m doing, I’m trying to think what he’s trying to do.
“I can see it and you can see when bowlers are trying to figure out a way of getting you out if they’re setting you up. And he’s always been that kind of guy. So I always find facing Ashwin a good challenge and I think that’s why he’s been so successful for such a long time.”
Nathan Lyon and Alex Carey also picked Ravichandran Ashwin over Ravindra Jadeja.
“I think Ashwin, he finds ways, he’s ultra competitive and gets into the contest,” said Alex Carey.
“Ashwin’s obviously got that bounce and Jadeja’s got the consistency and pace. So against me, that’s probably all you need,” said Nathan Lyon
Also read: Afghanistan’s Gulbadin Naib punished by ICC for Code of Conduct Breach