I'm Not Jealous Person, But I'm Envious Of Ravindra Jadeja - Ravichandran Ashwin

Ravichandran Ashwin has opened up on his bond with Ravindra Jadeja and said that both complete each other. Ravichandran Ashwin said that without Ashwin, there is no Jadeja and vice-versa.

Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja are two crucial spin all-rounders for India in Tests. The pair have been a lethal force behind India’s success in Tests in recent times. For instance, both of them won the Player of the series award for their outstanding bowling show during India’s 2-1 Test victory against Australia in March this year.

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Jadeja’s Journey And Mine Are Extremely Contrasting: Ravichandran Ashwin

While speaking on the latest episode on Sportstar, Ravichandran Ashwin said that he is not a jealous person but he is envious of Jadeja.

“One person that I am always envious of. I am not a jealous person. The greatest cricketer at this point of time, the most cerebral cricketer at this point of time is Virat Kohli. However, the most envious I am of is Ravindra Jadeja,” said Ashwin in an interaction with WV Raman for Sportstar.

He added that his and Jadeja’s journey has been contrasting. He said that Jadeja can be brilliant in bowling, batting, and fielding departments, something he cannot afford to do.

“Jadeja’s journey and mine are extremely contrasting. Jadeja can put a ball on the same spot day in and day out, be extremely athletic on the field, be extremely simple with the bat and be a million dollars on most days. I cannot afford to do that,” Ashwin said.

The off-spinner said that there is constant competition between both of them. However, he also added that they don’t exist without each other.

“For some reason, for a long time, I couldn’t express this to him. But I found a way to do so recently. There’s a constant tussle between us as well about who is better than the other”.

“But the fact is that we don’t exist without each other. Without Jadeja there is no Ashwin, without Ashwin, there’s no Jadeja. But the fact is that he is extremely good at keeping it simple, not overthinking or being curious,” Ashwin further said.

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Ashwin also pointed out the difference between his and Jadeja’s thought process. While Ashwin is a curious man on the field, Jadeja likes to keep it simple.

“He cannot be who he is if he is constantly overthinking. This is a classic case of two people plying similar trades and finding success in their own ways. Curiosity worked for me, but it need not be everyone’s cup of tea. My environment was very supportive of me being curious and asking questions. [This] might not be the case with others,” Ashwin further said.

Although Ashwin and Jadeja share a similar profile of spin all-rounder, both of them are regular members of the playing XI for India in Tests. However, while Ashwin’s presence is highly limited to Tests, Jadeja plays for India across all three formats.