CHENNAI: It's about 1.30 PM on Wednesday at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The Indian team had just finished their fielding drills after a long huddle. And R Ashwin was the first to walk towards the practice pitches on one side.
He picked up the ball, went through his motions and started bowling at an empty stump. Minutes later, there was a keeper — one of 35 local players who had been called by the Mumbai Cricket Association to help the Indian team at training. Soon, Ashwin was joined by his partner-in-crime — Ravindra Jadeja — Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav.
If you have followed the Indian team over the past decade, this is the most familiar sight. Ashwin and Jadeja bowling in tandem whether it is at training or in the match. The duo has been the biggest match-winners for India in the longest format, especially at home. The 12-year streak that just ended would not have extended as long as it did if not for Ashwin and Jadeja doing what they do best in the middle. Numbers say as much.
Since Jadeja’s debut, they have taken the field together 57 times for India in Tests and have cumulatively accounted for 574 wickets — Ashwin 360 and Jadeja 214. Of those 57 games, India have lost only seven and won 40 with a win-loss ratio of 5.714. At home, it only gets better. In 48 home games that featured both the spinners, India have won 35, lost seven and maintained a ridiculous W/L ratio of 7. Ashwin (274) and Jadeja (228) together have accounted for 502 dismissals with their averages a little over 21. If there ever was a textbook definition of dominance, this was it.
For more than a decade, they competed with each other — only one got to play more often than not when India toured overseas — pushed their limits and made each better. The last few years, however, haven’t been the same. With the emergence of Kuldeep, once in a while, there have been questions on whether they are still the same winning machines. But every time, they have come out and proved that they are. A case in point was the series against England earlier this year. Till the halfway point — the first innings of the third Test — Ashwin and Jadeja had ten and seven wickets, respectively in the series. Three weeks later when India completed a 4-1 win in Dharamsala, Ashwin had 26 and Jadeja 19. They are still the go-to duo with the ball for India.
Which is why, when results don’t go India’s way, as it has been the case in the ongoing series against New Zealand, questions are asked about the two veteran spinners. Indian cricket is so used to them doing the job, especially at home, that when the team doesn’t win and the duo doesn’t have wickets to show, they become the talking point. As captain Rohit Sharma said in Pune, it might not be fair to pin the responsibility on just the two. “It's the responsibility of all of us to make sure that we get Test match wins, not just the two guys. Of course, by their standard, they know where they stand and what they haven't been able to do or what they haven't done really well. But again, both of them have played so much cricket and have such huge contributions to our success of having that home streak of 18 series,” he had said.
However, when a team is in transition, that is how it is going to be. No one knows it better than Ashwin and Jadeja. Which is why, they have embraced it and appreciate each other a lot more in recent years. They know how much one person has played a part in the other excelling. Over the past year or so, their media interactions have become a lot more reflective. Knowing where they are in their careers, they have been appreciative of the time they have out there and want to enjoy it as much as possible. At 38, Ashwin has reiterated how he doesn’t look far ahead and just focuses on what is in front of him. Jadeja, who will turn 36 this December, too has tried to stay in the present as much as possible.
It’s been almost two hours at the nets in Wankhede. Ashwin and Jadeja, along with Kuldeep and Axar, had bowled to Virat Kohli, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill. Watching them in action from a distance, one cannot help but wonder whether this could be the last home Test they play together. India are going on a five-match tour to Australia next and then one to England. Their next home series is almost a year away. Twelve months is too long a time to predict anything about a team in transition either way.
Maybe they will be there come next year with Ashwin closing in on 600 Test wickets and Jadeja doing his bit at the other end. Maybe not. Irrespective of what happens down the line, Ashwin and Jadeja will be looking to give their all, enjoying every moment in the middle while showing why they are the biggest match-winners India have.