The news of Ravichandran Ashwin getting ruled out of the first Test’s playing XI against the West Indies hit the headlines all around. Ashwin’s supporters did not approve of Virat Kohli’s decision to select Ravindra Jadeja instead of him. Rumours targeted the possibility of a conflict between the off-spinner and the Indian captain. These rumours quickly dissolved away after Ashwin and Virat had posted their pictures together on social media, following the end of the game.
Ashwin was excluded from the second Test too, despite reaching an epic record while playing against West Indies. This made everyone question Kohli’s captaincy and his decision-making, as Ashwin should have been the obvious choice. Now, the 30-year-old captain has made up his mind to clarify the situation and tell everyone why he chose Jadeja instead of Ashwin.
With Ravindra Jadeja, we can bank on his control
To back up his explanation, Kohli had said that the team can count on Jadeja’s control, adding how the southpawwas the best bowler for away matches. He described the difficulty that a batsman will face while trying to handle a ball whose trajectory is aligned perfectly with a wicket, despite the ball not turning too much. Kohli called this to be Ravindra Jadeja’s USP. This was why the captain preferred him over Ravichandran Ashwin.
The reporters announced his explanation word for word, quoting him to praise Jadeja’s control with his accurate and consistent bowling deliveries. Kohli mentioned that this was exactly why Jadeja had been a constant part of the playing XI; the bowler knew how to shift the dynamics with his control. He pitches the ball in a way that ensures instant dismissals of the batsmen, as it is not easy to deal with such a charge.
The Indian team’s captain continued in the same vein, confirming that Jadeja was in the perfect zone currently. Considering the game’s three departments and who can excel at all three effortlessly, Virat is confident in believing that the Saurashtra cricketer easily outshines all other players throughout the globe.
Virat backed up Jadeja by saying that he is the best batsman, bowler, and fielder and there is no doubt about his commitment and priceless contributions to the games. He has chosen to bowl during the matches, sure of doing a great job with powerful deliveries as everyone has seen before.
