Ravindra Jadeja revealed that he was truly “shocked” to learn of R Ashwin’s retirement five minutes before the press conference, where he announced his retirement.
“I came to know about Sanyas at the last moment. Five minutes before the press conference. It was shocking,” Jadeja told reporters at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
“We spent the whole day together, and he didn’t even give me a sign. We all know how Ashwin’s mind works (laughs),” he added
Jadeja and Ashwin form the strongest spin duo in Test cricket. They played 58 Test matches together and took 587 wickets between them, surpassing Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh to become the most successful bowling duo for India – 501 wickets.
Now with Ashwin’s retirement, Jadeja feels the door has opened for young players to take advantage of the opportunity.
We have been bowling partners for many years. We continued to complement each other. We planned against the batsman. I will miss a lot of things,” he said.
“Hopefully, Ashwin will be replaced by a good spin bowler and all-rounder.
“We always have good talent in India and it’s not like it’s irreplaceable. We have to move on.
“It’s a golden opportunity for any young person who seizes the opportunity.”
At the Gabba, Ravindra Jadeja scored a match-saving 77 and felt that this match had boosted his confidence and batted with the same mindset at the MCG.
“It gives confidence when the team is in a difficult position to score an away goal,” he said.
“The mentality will be the same. You have to play according to the situation of the game and I will play according to the role of the team.”
Jadeja did not play the first two Tests in Perth and Adelaide but says it helped him get more used to the conditions in Australia.
“I didn’t play the first two games, it helped me practice more and I got more used to the situation. Hard work at the net helped me in the game,” he said.
Jadeja said that the Indian cricket team has a good chance of winning the three consecutive Border-Gavaskar Test series in Australia after the series was tied 1-1.
“We have a good chance to make it three games in a row. One good effort and we can win the match and the series,’ he said.
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