Ravindra Jadeja Belittled By Ravichandran Ashwin As A Bowler In Massive Verdict

Ashwin belittles Ravindra Jadeja's bowling credentials | PC- AFP

India scripted a famous victory at Galle against Sri Lanka on Wednesday, with the visiting spinners making Sri Lanka toil hard even in their backyard. Although Ravindra Jadeja returned with four wickets, his former partner-in-crime, Ravichandran Ashwin, has taken a dig at the star all-rounder.

The team management picked three left-arm spinners, Jadeja, Manav Suther, and Kuldeep Yadav, for the IND vs SL 1st Test, with no right-arm off-spin option in their playing XI at Galle. 

Even though India were able to scalp all 20 wickets with ease, India’s strategies were questioned all through the five days of the match. 

Ravindra Jadeja no longer an attacking spinner, feels Ravi Ashwin

After India’s victory in their 600th Test match, Ravichandran Ashwin questioned Ravindra Jadeja the bowler, stating that he is no longer the attacking spinner he was at his prime. 

While doing so, the legendary spinner acknowledged the upcoming left-arm tweaker Manav Suther, who bagged a ten-wicket haul at Galle. 

Although he may have questioned Jadeja as a bowler, Ashwin credited his credentials as a prolific Test all-rounder. 

“Jadeja and Suthar are completely different bowlers. Suthar’s strength is the ball rotation in his hands. Jadeja will bowl to the wickets and give you control with his stock balls. I feel Jadeja is not that attacking spinner anymore. He is a batter who will give experience with the ball and I feel he has transitioned to that role, which is not such a bad thing,” Ravi Ashwin explained on his YouTube channel.

“Manav Suthar, in the previous Test and this one as well, is putting his hands up and saying he also knows how to pick wickets. He was gauging what the batters might do and bowling accordingly."

Has Ravindra Jadeja dipped as a bowler in recent years?

Even though Ravindra Jadeja has been among the top Indian Test batters in recent times, his numbers with the ball have dropped, as Ravichandran Ashwin has rightly noted.

Overall in Test cricket, the left-arm spinner has taken 352 wickets in 90 matches at an average of 25.19, with the 37-year-old taking 58.2 deliveries to scalp a wicket. 

However, these numbers have worsened over the last two years. During this phase, he has bowled in 20 innings, taking just 29 wickets at 37.1, with his strike rate with the ball ticking 70.6. 

(Ravindra Jadeja's stats with the ball)

That said, the prolific all-rounder played six Tests in Australia and England, where spinners tend to play second fiddle to the fast bowlers. 

Meanwhile, Jadeja's stats at home in the last two years remained identical to his overall bowling numbers. In eight innings, he snapped 18 at an average of 24.2 with a strike rate of 50.8. 

Can India afford moving on from Ravindra Jadeja?

With the emergence of players like Manav Suther and Washington Sundar in the Test fold, it is no secret that the Indian team management has started looking at the next crop of spinners. 

However, Ravindra Jadeja, at 37, will be a crucial cog through this transition phase, given his credentials. His bowling numbers may have dropped in the recent years, but he has been contributing more than ever as a batter. 

Since 2025, the left-hander has racked up 786 runs in 19 innings, averaging 56.14 (which is 18.37 more than his overall Test average) and slamming two centuries. 

Additionally, no Indian batter other than Shubman Gill has had a better average than Jadeja in the last two years, except for Devdutt Padikkal, who has only played one Test since 2025. 

Also Read: Dinesh Karthik Cheekily Asks Nasser Hussain To Enter Pakistan Dressing Room And Give Virat Kohli Sermons