What makes the Jadeja-Ashwin spin duo the GOAT
Summary
As Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin get better with age, they have become the best spin duo in the history of Test cricket
At 144/6, with all six specialist batsmen back in the pavilion on the opening day of the first Test in the ongoing series against Bangladesh, India were in dire trouble. Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin joined left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja in the middle. Both batsmen were on nought.
Bangladesh unleashed their new fast bowler, Nahid Rana, who had made batsmen hop in Pakistan with rising 150 kmph deliveries. But Ashwin counterattacked with thumping shots through the covers, befuddling the new Bangladesh captain, Najmul Hossain Shanto. Jadeja was more circumspect at the outset, before smashing the spinners. The duo put on 199 for the seventh wicket. Then they shared 11 wickets between them to seal the game.
It’s not the first time Ashwin and Jadeja have rescued India with the bat before bowling them to victory. Ashwin’s century against Bangladesh in Chennai on 19 September was a reminder of his 106 against England at the same venue in 2021, after India had been reduced to 106/6. In that match, he had also taken 8 wickets to turn the series around after India had lost the first Test.
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The last time we saw Jadeja’s heroics was in his home state of Gujarat earlier this year. With the Test series against England tied 1-1, Jadeja came out to bat in Rajkot on 15 February with India at 33/3. He had a double century stand with skipper Rohit Sharma before going on to score 112. He then took 7 wickets in the match to help India go 2-1 up.
Jadeja and Ashwin complement each other with both bat and ball. The former’s ability to attack the spinners combines well with the latter’s newfound belligerence against fast bowlers, thanks to his growing T20 batting skills. With his experience, Ashwin now possesses a wider repertoire of shots than ever before, and he has freely admitted being inspired by Jadeja.
Similarly, their contrasting bowling styles pose a challenge to batsmen. Jadeja is quick through the air and accurate, which makes him unplayable on rank turners. Ashwin, on the other hand, likes to mix it up according to the conditions and batting techniques he encounters. For example, on the last tour to Australia in 2020-21, he famously ensnared Steve Smith time and again in the leg trap.
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Ashwin’s top spin and his sliders that come in with the arm make life especially difficult for left-handers, when the odd ball bounces and turns sharply. Bouncy wickets are his allies. Jadeja, on the other hand, is a nightmare for right-handers when the ball starts turning off the middle of the track at over 90 kmph.
The world over, the most famous all-rounders are those who bowl medium pace and contribute substantially with the bat in the late middle order, like England’s Ben Stokes and India’s Hardik Pandya. But Ashwin and Jadeja have drawn attention to the importance of spin-bowling all-rounders, especially on the subcontinent.
The spin duo is the primary reason India haven’t lost a Test series at home since 2012: that’s 18 consecutive series, including this one against Bangladesh. The last time India did lose one was when it came up against another spin duo: off-spinner Graeme Swann and left-arm spinner Monty Panesar of England.
The English pair shared an attribute that’s vital to be successful in Indian conditions. They were as miserly as the Indians in offering “hit-me" balls, forcing batsmen to take the initiative to score. Most visiting spinners have lacked that rigour.
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Ashwin has fought hard to gain the recognition that has finally come his way. He was written off initially as a white ball bowler, because he first made his mark in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Even after proving himself with the red ball, he was usually the spinner to miss out in games abroad, when India chose to play four seamers and a sole spinner.
But he showed his character in the Sydney Test in 2021, when his resolute 39 in 128 balls on the last day, in the company of Hanuma Vihari, saved India from defeat. That kept the series level and set up a famous victory in Brisbane later in the tour.
A commentator once described Jadeja as a “bits-and-pieces" player, provoking an irate response. It’s true, however, that in the initial years of his career, he saw himself as a bowler who could play a few cameos, averaging below 30 with the bat. But once he and the team management started to take his batting more seriously, he became as good as any specialist batsman.
Since 2018, Jadeja has notched up four Test centuries, while his spin partner Ashwin has taken his tally to six after scoring his first Test century in 2011. While Ashwin has just turned 38, Jadeja will be 36 years old in December. Both look fit enough to play for another two or three years, which augurs well for India in Test matches.
In their 50th Test of bowling in tandem—in Hyderabad against England in January 2024—the pair surpassed the tally of 501 wickets in 54 Tests between Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh. That makes Ashwin and Jadeja the most successful spin bowling duo for India, and next only to Muttiah Muralitharan and Sanath Jayasuriya of Sri Lanka globally. If you add their accomplishments with the bat, they are undoubtedly the greatest of all time.
For more than a decade, they have enthralled Indian fans with their all-round skills and determination. Indian Test cricket owes a lot to these two spin bowling all-rounders who haven’t got a fraction of the accolades showered on our superstar batsmen over the years. 
Sumit Chakraberty is a writer based in Bengaluru.
