Indian National Cricket Team all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin spoke about his rivalry with Ravindra Jadeja. Although he was jealous of his teammate, he made a bold claim saying that he admires him very much.
Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja has been the backbone of Team India in Tests for the last decade. The duo bond with each other and make sure they give their all for the team with both bat and ball.
Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja were promoted to the squad in the recently concluded first Test against the Bangladesh National Cricket Team. As the team was under pressure, both rose to the occasion. The home side were reeling at 144/6 and that’s when they gave up.
Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja came up with a stellar batting performance as they put up a partnership of 199 which rescued the Indian team from trouble and put them in a dominant position. Although the off-spinner reached a century, the left-hander scored 87 runs.
They combined with the ball to hit the wicket at one point and made a mockery of the Bangladeshis. Jadeja picked 5 wickets while Ashwin picked 6 which came in the second innings as he helped India win the game by a huge margin of 280 runs and take a 1-0 lead in the series.
Ravichandran Ashwin was asked if he saw Jadeja as a rival in the Indian set-up. In response, he said that playing all-out forces players to always be ahead of each other. He mentioned that his admiration for Jadeja goes a step further because he knows he cannot win comprehensively. Speaking to Jio Cinema, he explained:
“Sometimes when you compete with your cricketers, you want to outdo each other, even within the team. It’s like brothers in arms, isn’t it? Then you slowly start to admire each other.”
“Now that admiration has gone up a notch because I know I can never beat Jadeja. So I am comfortable in my own skin but I am totally inspired by what he has done.”
I envy him but I absolutely admire him – Ravindra Jadeja on Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravichandran Ashwin then praised Ravindra Jadeja as a racket player, saying that he has admired him a lot for the last 4-5 years. Speaking about his career, he explained:
“Jadeja on the field is fire. He is a rocket on the pitch. So overall, I envy him. I’m jealous of him, but I’m totally in awe of him. In the last 4-5 years, I have learned to admire him, even more than in the past.”
“He’s been a very inspirational story. In the last 3-4 years when he’s come into bat, I feel very calm and composed in the dressing room. It’s a very inspirational story of how he’s found himself at stumps, how he’s contributed,” he said. concluded.
