Cheteshwar Pujara feels it will be tough for India to find replacements for the superstar duo of R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.
Cheteshwar Pujara has expressed concerns about India’s potential struggles in the post-Ashwin-Jadeja era. With the Indian Test team on the verge of a generational transition, Pujara believes that finding suitable replacements for the spin duo of R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja will be a big challenge for India.
You can’t have the quality of Ashwin and Jadeja: Cheteshwar Pujara
Pujara’s observations stem from his recent experiences in domestic cricket. He said that the Indian cricket system lacks players of the caliber of Ashwin and Jadeja, raising questions about the team’s future spin bowling options.
Over the past decade, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja have been the backbone of the Indian Test team, particularly on home soil. They have not only established themselves as two of the world’s best spin bowlers but have also excelled as all-rounders, consistently contributing with both bat and ball.
“You can’t have the quality of Ashwin and Jadeja. I have seen a lot of spinners in the Indian domestic circuit, but I wouldn’t say that we have actual replacements for them. Yes, we do have some young talented bowlers whom we need to groom, but those are the legends of the game. I don’t think we will ever get someone as good as Ashwin or Jadeja. We might have some replacements, but I still feel those guys have contributed a lot to Indian cricket,” said Pujara to ESPNCricinfo.
Pujara also made a surprising suggestion, advocating for the exclusion of Ashwin and Jadeja from the upcoming Test series in England. He believes that this could provide an opportunity for other players to gain valuable experience and adapt to English conditions.
“After the WTC final, we will be traveling to England. That will be an important series. We are going to play five Test matches over there. Do you seen Ashwin and Jadeja fit into that role? Do you want one of them to be part of the playing XI? But, if Washington Sundar is going to play in the XI, then you might as well have someone else be part of the squad,” Pujara concluded.
In a big tactical decision, India opted to field Washington Sundar as the lone spinner in the Perth Test against Australia, omitting both Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja from the playing XI, which became the first instance since the historic Gabba Test victory in 2021 that India chose to field a single specialist spinner. Notably, the last time both Ashwin and Jadeja were excluded from the playing XI when both were fit was during the 2018 Perth Test. However, India went on to register a resounding 295-run win over Australia in the Perth Test, even without R Ashwin and Jadeja. It will be interesting to see India stick with their previous playing XI or tinker it in the Adelaide Test against Australia.