Team India might be inclined to replace Ravichandran Ashwin with Ravindra Jadeja for the 2nd Test vs New Zealand due to the left-arm spinner's better record with the bat in the last few years.
In 2011, a lanky off-spinner from Chennai going by the name of Ravichandran Ashwin took the field for India for the first time in Tests and was adjudged Man of the Match in his debut game for taking 9 wickets in the match.
In a matter of 18 matches, he completed 100 Test wickets and became a household name and India's leading spinner.
Fast forward few years, and now in 2020, the 33-year-old is still India's leading spinner but only in Tests, especially in overseas matches.
Ashwin, now having a veteran status, has proved himself enough in his primary role of a bowler in red-ball cricket but in an era where he himself agrees that tail-enders do not throw their wicket easily, is the justifying his caliber as a batsman who can stand in the middle in tough times and stitch some match-winning or match-saving partnerships?
Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja, on the other hand, bowls well as and when the opportunity comes to him and lately, he has started to flourish with the bat as well.
India though will leave it to the very last moment before deciding on whom to play in Christchurch.
"Ravindra Jadeja or Ravichandran Ashwin, we will take that call tomorrow (Saturday) in the morning," head coach Ravi Shastri said on Friday.
Overall batting performance since the start of 2017
Since January 1, 2017, Ravindra Jadeja has played 23 matches, scoring 996 runs. The Gujarat all-rounder, who averages 49.80 with the bat in this period, has faced 1576 balls and also scored a century.
During the same period, Jadeja took 100 wickets which included 3 five-wicket hauls. The 31-year-old averages 25.28 with the ball.
Ashwin, on the other hand, has played 27 matches, scoring 573 runs at a below-par average of 17.36. Ashwin has faced 1077 balls during this period.
India's most premium red-ball spinner Ashwin has taken only 17 more wickets than Jadeja during the said period and averages 26.41.
Ravindra Jadeja gets fewer matches than Ashwin to play in overseas conditions but the gun all-rounder makes it a point that he gives his best.
He scalped 5 wickets for India in the Boxing Day Test against Australia in Melbourne and helped India take a 2-1 lead in the 2018-19 Border-Gavaskar series. India drew the next Test and thus, registered their first Test series triumph for the first time in Australia.
Number of balls faced
While, the 'Rockstar' of Indian team Jadeja In his last 10 batting innings has faced 50-plus balls 6 times (faced over 100 balls on 4 occasions), Ashwin in his last 10 Test batting innings has faced 50-plus ball only twice and has lost his wicket within 25 balls of his innings on 7 occasions.
Batting Performance in overseas matches since 2017
Ravindra Jadeja has played 7 overseas matches, accumulating 349 runs with an average of 49.85. He faced 616 balls and scored 4 fifties.
Ravichandran Ashwin, on the other hand, has featured in 11 matches, scoring 383 runs at an average of 22.4. He faced 654 and smashed 1 fifty.
1st innings performance with the bat in last 3 overseas Tests
The athletic all-rounder outshines Ashwin here as well. In the first innings of the last 3 overseas matches, his scorecard reads 16, 58, 81.
For Ashwin, his batting cannot be more dwindling. He has scored 0, 25 and 1 in the first innings of his last 3 Test matches.
Hundreds and fifties since the start of 2017
Ravindra Jadeja, who holds the record for hitting 3 triple tons in domestic cricket, has worked hard to replicate the performance at the international level also. Jadeja, who almost won India the semi-finals of 2019 World Cup against New Zealand, has scored 4 fifties in Test cricket from 2017 onward.
Ravichandran Ashwin batting stats have a different story to tell. Ashwin has been a saviour for India on many disastrous batting collapses. His batting skills were so prevalent before 2017 that he ended up scoring 4 tons but from 2017 onward Ashwin has lost his shine completely and hit just 1 fifty.
Jadeja a better batsman than Ashwin in SENA nations
When it comes to batting on the bouncing and swinging pitches of South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Australia, Ravindra Jadeja topples Ravichandran Ashwin again. A spinner who can put a price on his wicket is always a boon for the team as those extra few runs scored by him can play a heavy role in the result of the match.
Jadeja has scored 456 runs from his 18 innings at an average of 28.50 in SENA countries. He has scored 3 fifties in the process and an unbeaten 86 against England is his top-score in an innings. Ashwin averages 23.21 after playing 34 innings in SENA nations. With, just 194 runs more than Jadeja in almost twice the matches played by him, Ashwin fails to prevail over his competitor Jadeja. Ashwin has scored 2 fifties in these nations.
Fielding talents of the two players
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Ravindra Jadeja is one of those gifted cricketers who can change the course of the match with their thrilling fielding. In the 1st Test against New Zealand in Wellington Jadeja took a brilliant catch to send back a dangerous Kane Williamson, who was looking set to hit his 22nd Test ton, in the pavilion.
A player like Jadeja lifts up a bowler's or in fact, the entire team's morale by his fielding antics and that is why he can be always seen patrolling the busiest parts of the field.
Ashwin is visibly not so athletic and fields where the ball traffic is minimal.
Ravindra Jadeja has been with the team ever since the start of this New Zealand tour. The 31-year-old is well climatized and knows the situation. On top of that Jadeja has been oozing with confidence in the recent past and has looked more than ready to take the responsibilities. The all-rounder must surely be waiting for his chance in the second Test.
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