Sachin Tendulkar Backs The Inclusion Of Both Ravichandran Ashwin And Ravindra Jadeja In The Playing 11 For WTC Final

Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar believes that there is a strong case for including the duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja in the World Test Championship final against New Zealand.

Team India’s thinktank-led by Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri will need to make a decision on the possible combination they should go with for the summit clash.

Should they leave out one of the spinners and play 4 seamers or should they do include both Ashwin and Jadeja in the playing 11?

But Tendulkar believes that given the fact that both Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja are capable batters apart from being World class spinners, the management would be tempted to play both of them in the final.

“I don’t like to interfere in team combination but there is a strong case (to play both Jadeja and Ashwin). Both can bat and create serious partnerships,” Sachin Tendulkar told India Today.

Sachin Tendulkar also opened up about the misconception that people have about Ebglabd not being an ideal place for spinners.

Tendulkar explained that while the spinners may not get ideal purchase from English wickets, a quality spinner will be able to drift the ball in the air and cause problems for the batsmen.

“When people talk about spinners not getting assistance in England, I feel they get different kind of assistance compared to what you get in India,” said the legendary cricketer.

“People talk about surface but no one talks about what happens in the air. A quality spinner will be able to drift the ball in the air. If you use the conditions smartly you can deceive the batsman in the air. It doesnt have to be that the off spinner has to get an inside edge and get him out at short leg. You can drift the ball and while he is blocking, it can take the outside edge and go to first slip,” he said.

“Let’s not be fix minded and say there is not enough help. A quality spinner can bowl anywhere and I am sure Ashwin and Jadeja know which side to keep the shine, depending on what they want to do. The tendency is to say that there is not enough off the surface but you can do enough in the air,” said Tendulkar.

If India does decide to play both Ashwin and Jadeja then it will only be the 4th time in history that the duo will play together in an overseas Test.

In the three Tests that Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin have played together in SENA, Team India has won and lost 1 apiece in Melbourne and Manchester respectively while 1 game- Sydney Test 2021- ended in a draw.

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