The spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, whose lack of success on a spin-friendly pitch contributed to the team’s first Test series defeat at home in twelve years, were defended by India captain Rohit Sharma on Saturday.
The failure of their top spinners highlighted India’s defeat to New Zealand, even though they were thoroughly outplayed on the spin-friendly MCA Stadium track.
“They are aware of that. When questioned about the Indian spinners’ lack of control during the press conference following India’s 113-run defeat, Rohit responded, “There’s too much expectation on those two guys.”
“They are expected to win Test matches for us, run through the rival team, and take wickets in every game they play. That isn’t fair, in my opinion,” he remarked.
Since losing to England in 2012–13, India has won 18 straight home series, but that streak stopped on Saturday.
Ravindra Jadeja, who played his maiden Test match in December 2012, and Ashwin, who made his debut in November 2011, combined to create a deadly spin combo that started the dream run.
Ravindra Jadeja, has collected 225 wickets in 47 games, and Ashwin has 326 wickets in 55 Test matches when they play together at home.
According to Rohit, winning Test matches is a team effort.
“Not only the two individuals, but all of us, have a duty to ensure that we win the Test. Naturally, based on their criteria, they are aware of their current position, their shortcomings, and their strong points,” he stated.
“Both of them have played so much cricket here and have (made) such huge contributions to our success, of having that home streak of 18 series wins, these two have played a major role in that.”
“With those two men in particular, I won’t be looking into it too much. They are aware of what occurs, and occasionally they are let to play a few poor games without being held to the standard of “okay, this is my chance to take wickets and crush the opposition.” That won’t occur each time,” Rohit stated.
“You’re referring to a player who is taking more than 300 and 500 wickets, respectively. They are fully aware of how they have taken those wickets and consistently come out to win Test matches for us,” he continued.
Although he was pleased with Washington Sundar’s bowling, capturing 11 wickets in his maiden Test match in three years, Rohit said India would undoubtedly examine its bowling.
“Washy played a fantastic game. I take great pride in that. We are pleased with his performance, and he takes pride in it. Rohit remarked, “He bowled so well.”
The challenge arose because Mitchell Santner held the ball on the stumps. You can’t tell which will go away and stay upright when you pitch it on the stumps.
As a bowling team, we needed to take advantage of that much more to force them to play as many as possible and pitch it more on the stumps. We’ll sit down and talk about those things, go over it and see where they stand on it,” he said.
Rohit said it was the first time the team had misplayed in several years, adding that the Indian teams had set high standards over the years.
“There have only been two games in which we have collapsed. However, are you even considering how many games we have won in India? He inquired.
“The hitters have won games by batting on difficult wickets. We have never batted poorly or performed poorly on such wickets before. Once every twelve years, that is acceptable. We wouldn’t have prevailed if the collapses had occurred during the previous 12 years.
“We have set the expectations high — we have made it a habit for you, you are not at fault here — we have played such good cricket that the expectations have gone one level up,” he said.
“It’s incorrect to assume that the Indian squad won’t make any mistakes while in India. The other team is also keeping an eye on us to see what we are doing to win so many games. Sometimes the margin is too little since they are also prepared,” he continued.
India’s recent cricket success is primarily attributed to Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. Their versatility has frequently changed the outcome of games, making them an invaluable squad member. But these two mainstays’ remarkable and constant performances have created irrational expectations of them.
Acknowledging that even the best athletes occasionally have bad days or inconsistent streaks is critical. It is unfair and may pressure Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, unnecessarily, to do heroics in every match. After all, they are only human, so expecting them to perform at their best constantly is not reasonable.
Even though their efforts are priceless, it’s essential to recognize the other team members’ contributions. Success requires a well-rounded team effort with input from every department. No matter how good they are, relying too much on two players can hurt the team’s performance.
It’s time to recognize Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja ‘s enormous efforts without expecting them to do miracles regularly. We can assist them in maintaining their peak performance for many years by acknowledging their limitations and providing support.