Ravichandran Ashwin or Ravindra Jadeja? Australian cricketers give their verdict on who is the tougher bowler to face
Australian players recently picked the toughest of the two Indian spinners among spin twins Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja amid the third Test at the Gabba in Brisbane on Saturday, December 14.
Undoubtedly the majority picked Ashwin, with Australia opener Usman Khawaja labeling Jadeja and Ashwin as 'metronome' and 'cagiest', respectively.
Khawaja said (via The Times of India):
"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 definitely 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."
Cameron Green, who is missing the ongoing series due to injury, came up with similar comments as Khawaja:
"I think what makes them great is that they just complement each other. Ashwin, he's always feels like he's one step ahead. If you feel like you've got him, you don't."
"And Jadeja just never gives you an inch, never misses, always bowling at you. If you're not switched on for a ball, you're probably gone. So I think that, yeah, the best way to talk about them is probably how much they complement each other," he added.
Australia swashbuckling batter Travis Head, who smashed a match-winning 141 in the second Test, picked Ashwin as someone with the most tricks up his sleeve. He said:
"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."
Australia wicketkeeper-batter Alex Carey said:
"I think Ashwin, he finds ways, he's ultra competitive and gets into the contest."
Watch the video below:
"Great skills" - Steve Smith picks the toughest between Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja
Australia star batter Steve Smith further picked his nemesis Ravichandran Ashwin, who has dismissed him eight times in Tests, for his 'great skills' and adaptability.
The 35-year-old said in the same video:
"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. 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."
Australia leg spinner Nathan Lyon, who claims himself to be a big fan of Ashwin said:
"Ashwin's obviously got that bounce and Jadeja's got the consistency and pace. So against me, that's probably all you need."
Australia ace pacer Josh Hazlewood summed up the video by picking Ashwin for his craft, skill, and mastery, saying:
"I think it would be Ashwin. I hate right-arm off spinners. Being a left hander, I'm not good against much, but righ-arm off is really annoying. But Ashwin's pretty crafty as his record suggests."
Ravindra Jadeja was picked over Ravichandran Ashwin in India playing XI for the third Test. Ashwin played in the second Test in Adelaide.
Ashwin and Jadeja have 537 and 319 wickets in Tests, respectively. The duo have also scored over 3,000 runs in the format.