India’s recent Test series defeat at home against New Zealand has raised concerns about the form of their senior spinners, R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. However, captain Rohit Sharma has defended the duo, emphasizing that the responsibility for Test match wins lies with the entire team, not just two individuals.
On a slow, dry Pune pitch, India’s spin trio, including Washington Sundar, was outbowled by New Zealand’s. Ashwin, in particular, struggled to provide the control he is known for, conceding runs at almost four an over in the third innings. Jadeja also faced challenges, with batters like Devon Conway employing aggressive sweeps and reverse-sweeps.
Despite their recent struggles, Rohit believes that Ashwin and Jadeja remain key players for India. He acknowledged that they may have off days, but emphasized that they have made significant contributions to India’s success in the past.
“They know exactly what happens and sometimes they are allowed to have some bad games here and there and not go by that expectation that this is the opportunity for me to take wickets and run through the opposition,” Rohit said.
Rohit also called for the responsibility to be shared among the other spinners. He pointed to Washington Sundar’s impressive performance in Pune, where he took 11 wickets in the match.
“Like we keep talking about with the batters it is not the responsibility of a few individuals, it is the collective batting unit that needs to come together,” Rohit said. “So it’s the same with the bowling unit as well.”
Rohit’s comments suggest that India will not make any drastic changes to their spin attack for the upcoming Test series in Australia. He believes that Ashwin and Jadeja remain valuable assets, but that the team needs to provide them with more support.
