"It’s not Jadeja’s fault that I’m not playing"- R Ashwin says he is not jealous of Ravindra Jadeja in Test cricket

Senior spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has opened up on if he is jealous of Ravindra Jadeja taking the spin-bowling all-rounder's slot when India play overseas Test matches.

In overseas Tests, India generally pick only one spin option in the playing XI. Jadeja makes the cut to the Indian playing XI over Ashwin in most of the Tests in` such scenario. The team management has left Ashwin out of the playing XI even when he was the highest-ranked Test bowler in the world.

In a candid chat with Vimal Kumar on YouTube, Ashwin was asked if he is jealous of Jadeja taking that spot in the playing XI. Replying to the query, Ravichandran Ashwin said:

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"It’s not Jadeja’s fault that I’m not playing. I don’t have the kind of jealousy where I would wish to keep him out just to play myself. The notion of jealousy is a conditioning we need to overcome."

Ashwin further mentioned that it was wrong for people to say politics was a reason for someone's non-selection. He felt the focus should rather be on honesty and self-improvement.

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Ravindra Jadeja is the most talented cricketer I’ve seen: Ravichandran Ashwin

In the same interview, Ashwin heaped praise on Ravindra Jadeja's all-round skills and labeled him as the most talented cricketer he has seen.

Explaining why he thinks so, Ashwin added:

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"Jadeja is the most talented cricketer I’ve seen; everything about him is natural."

Lastly, the Indian off-spinner concluded by saying that their working relationship has improved significantly ever since they realized they had different strengths and weaknesses.

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“I tend to think a lot, whereas he does not. Understanding took time, but now we have a strong working relationship," Ashwin concluded.

Ashwin and Jadeja will return to Test cricket this month when India take on Bangladesh in a two-match WTC series. The first Test will start on September 19 in Chennai.

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