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Cricket PlayersRohit Sharma uncertain about Ashwin and Jadeja's future, says 'for the sake of Indian cricket, I hope they stay'
Ashwin is currently 36 and is India's second-highest wickettaker in the longer format after spin legend Anil Kumble. Jadeja, on the other hand, is two years younger than him.
India out-muscled Australia yet again to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, winning the four-match Test series 2-1 after the fourth and final Test in Ahmedabad ended in a draw. Leading from the front, Rohit Sharma made his intentions clear straightaway as he slammed a ton in the opening encounter in Nagpur on a pitch where the entire Australian unit fizzled out for 177. Riding on his effort and crucial contributions from Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja lower down the order, India defeated the Aussies by an innings and 132 runs there.
If Rohit showed valour with the bat, the deadly combo of R Ashwin and Jadeja wreaked havoc with the ball. Jadeja, playing his first international fixture since returning from a knee injury, scalped five wickets in the first innings and Ashwin repeated the same in the second.
The dominance by both Ashwin and Jadeja continued as the venues kept shifting until the fourth and final Test was played on a dead track, with hardly any assistance to the bowlers.
The duo combined accounted for 47 wickets throughout the series and were also named the joint winners of Player of the Series award.
When asked to Rohit on the future of the two in the post-match press conference on Monday, the Indian skipper had a very straightforward response. He, however, didn't shy from lavishing praise for the two, calling them one of the biggest assets of the team in the last decade.
“Honestly if they'll be around, I don't know, I'll be around (laughs). But four years is a long time. I mean for the sake of Indian cricket, I hope they stay and they play a lot of cricket for India,” said Rohit.
He added: "Honestly both of them are marathon players for us. They know exactly how to get the job done. Especially in this part of the world, you give them the ball, they get you those breakthroughs. With the bat they get you crucial runs. Very, very important players for us.
“Where we stand today, in terms of how we performed especially in Indian conditions, a lot of credit goes to them. A large part of our success belongs to those two guys. Obviously you know it's not just for the period of few years, it's over a decade now. So it's a long, long time to keep performing in the way these two guys have done for us.
“And I can only hope that they continue to play as long as possible, because those shoes will definitely be very, very big one to fill. So I hope for the sake of Indian cricket they continue as long as they can.”
Ashwin is currently 36 and is India's second-highest wickettaker in the longer format after spin legend Anil Kumble. Jadeja, on the other hand, is two years younger than him.
