Both spinners performed admirably for India in the first Test.
Former India cricketer Harbhajan Singh has expressed his thoughts on Team India relying on spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja to win the first Test at Nagpur convincingly in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2023.
India is the current Border-Gavaskar Trophy champion after winning the four-match series 2-1 in 2020-21. Even back then, after losing the first Test at the Adelaide Oval, India staged a comeback. Australia’s Test cricket record in India has been dismal since they last won a series in 2004.
“I think Ashwin will pick the most wickets and Jadeja will also have some. These two spinners are up to the task. They have a lot of left-handers, so Ashwin will most likely start with the new ball. “I believe India’s spinners will win the match tomorrow.”
On Day 1 of the first Test, the former spinner was extremely impressed by the Aswhin-Jadeja duo, and he stated that with such a confident start to the series, especially by this duo, it would be upon them to take India home. In the first innings, the spin twins shared 8 wickets, with Jadeja taking a brilliant fifer.
Furthermore, Harbhajan reserved special praise for all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja. In the first Test, the 34-year-old displayed his all-round abilities to perfection. Harbhajan Singh stated that Jadeja’s performance had laid out a blueprint for how to play Test cricket.
“With the ball, he took five wickets. But the innings he pitched were spectacular. It wasn’t like Jadeja just walked in and started hitting. He showed good defence and a good step over. He demonstrated the game of Test cricket,” he concluded.
