Ashwin and Jadeja: India’s lethal spin duo

At the end of Day 2, it must have been a different version of a Friday night party in the New Zealand dressing room. Latham (56) and Williamson (65) looked settled, were reading the game well and most importantly, seemed to take care of the dreaded spinning conditions. The scoreboard read 152/1 — a decent start against India’s 318 in the first innings.

However, the bubble had to burst. And on Day 3, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja ensured it in a ruthless fashion. The Kiwis could only muster 110 runs as the duo shared the remaining nine wickets between them. Thus, by the time the weekend came to an end, the tables had turned in India’s favour. The hosts were 6 wickets away from victory; the visitors 340 runs away from saving the match.

While Jadeja piled on pressure from one end, Ashwin took wickets at tandem from the other. Of his 34 overs, Jadeja bowled 17 maidens while chipping away the prize wicket of Luke Ronchi (80). Ashwin, on the other hand, bowled five maidens but ran through the New Zealand top order and wrapped up the tail to help India lead the three-match series 1-0. The duo, simply, complimented each other.

“Obviously Ashwin is a very good bowler on slow turning tracks and I would like to congratulate him for (picking up) 200 wickets. I’m enjoying bowling with him, and whenever wicket was not falling we always talk about what to do. We enjoy each other’s company,” Jadeja said at the post-match ceremony.

The pair has been deadly at home in the recent past. From annihilating the Aussies 4-0 to winning the 500th Test, they have been a huge factor for India’s recent home success. In the 10 Tests in which they featured together, the duo have 129 wickets out of a possible 190 to their name helping India emerge victorious in eight of them. While one was a tame draw against England in Jadeja’s debut Test, the other saw no play on four days. Even then, the duo had picked up 8 wickets on Day 1 itself. They have played just two matches together in overseas conditions picking up 7 wickets in three innings.

However, it’s not just their efforts with the ball that has been crucial. Ashwin has four centuries and six half-centuries to his name while Jadeja has three fifties — two of which came in this Test against New Zealand. Given captain Kohli’s preference for five bowlers, having such bowling all-rounders can help him experiment his strategies at ease.

Former spinner Bishan Bedi, who was a part of India’s famous spin quartet, backed the duo as well. “They are a pair that compliments each other. They’ve been doing extremely well and that is something we all can cherish. They are going strong and are in the team because they’ve delivered.”

Of the 10 Tests at home, there were four frontline spinners — Harbhajan Singh, Amit Mishra, Pragyan Ojha and Piyush Chawla — who had shared the bowling attack alongside Ashwin and Jadeja in 8 matches. However, the quartet could pick up only 23 wickets. The Jadeja-Ashwin pair hasn’t just made a mark; they’ve leapfrogged their counterparts in all sections.

“Any pair, that is hitting the deck well and is in form, will win you a Test match,” said former India spinner Maninder Singh. “The conditions are such that one doesn’t need to try too hard. The problem with others might be that they weren’t sticking to their line and length and were experimenting a bit too much. Unless and until someone gets injured, it’s going to be really difficult for others to get in (the team).”

With 12 Tests to go at home this season, the pair will be a huge factor if India are to reclaim the top spot from arch-rivals Pakistan who they trail by a solitary point. They could surge ahead in the next game itself, but the duo will be key if India are to build a healthy lead on top and continue their dominance.