Rohit praises Ashwin and 'top all-rounder' Jadeja after innings win...
Giving example of his promotion in T20I series, India captain wants to use Jadeja "too much with the bat"
R Ashwin is an "all time great". Ravindra Jadeja is also one of the "top all-rounders". After taking 15 wickets between them in an innings and 222-run win over Sri Lanka in the first Test in Mohali, captain Rohit Sharma had this to say about India's two most consecutive match wins at home.
In the second innings, in which Ashwin took four wickets, he took 436 Test wickets with Kapil's 434 Test wickets, surpassing Kapil Dev's number. This made Ashwin the second highest wicket-taker for India after Anil Kumble. Who tops the Indian list with 619 wickets.
"For me, he is already an all-time great," Rohit said of Ashwin. "He has been playing cricket for the country for so many years, his performance has been great over the years. He has given many match winning performances."
Jadeja was easily the most impressive cricketer in a one-off match, scoring an unbeaten 175 in the first innings, taking 5 for 41 and 4 for 46 as Sri Lanka batted twice in a row. This was Jadeja's highest score at a distance in Test cricket. His batting average, which has been on a linear incline since 2017, has never been higher than 36.46, where he currently sits after that knock.
Rohit praised Jadeja, saying, Jadeja also had a memorable Test match as he became the first Indian in 60 years to exceed 150 scores (175 not out in the first innings) and take 5 wickets in a Test. Jadeja took 9 wickets in the Mohali Test.
He said, "The example was in the T20 series against Sri Lanka. I casually asked him if he wanted to bat down the order, and he was up for it. That's why we told him to go up the order in the first T20I .
"As a captain, I want to use Jadeja more with the bat. We all know his bowling. Everyone knows about his fielding. He also brings so much balance to the team."
India's lower order also scored heavily in the Mohali Test. At one point, they were at 228 for 5 in danger of being dismissed for less than 300. However, for the loss of only three more wickets, the hosts added 346 runs thanks to Jadeja. Ashwin also contributed 61 and Mohammed Shami contributed 20 not out.
"It's very important in Test matches - the lower order coming into the party," Rohit said. "I clearly remember in 2015 when Virat [Kohli] took over as captain, we wanted to make a strong lower order contribution and build a strong foundation for that.
"That's why we keep emphasizing how important it is for all bowlers to go out and bat in the nets. Try and improve one skill or the other."
Comments
Post a Comment