India defeated Australia once more to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, winning the four-match Test series 2-1 after the fourth and final Test in Ahmedabad was drawn. Leading from the front, Rohit Sharma made his intentions clear straightaway as he slammed a tonne in the opening encounter in Nagpur on a pitch where the entire Australian unit fizzled out for 177. India defeated Australia by an innings and 132 runs there thanks to his effort and significant contributions from Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja lower down the order.
When it came to the ball, R Ashwin and Jadeja’s lethal partnership wreaked havoc while Rohit displayed bravery with the bat. Jadeja took five wickets in the first innings of his first international match after recovering from a knee injury, and Ashwin did the same in the second.
As the venues kept changing, Ashwin and Jadeja’s dominance persisted, and the fourth and final Test was played on a dead track with hardly any help for the bowlers.
Together, the two players took 47 wickets throughout the series, and they shared the Player of the Series honour.
During the post-game press conference on Monday, Rohit was questioned about the two of them and gave a very direct response. But he didn’t hold back when he praised the two, describing them as the team’s biggest assets in the previous ten years.
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“Honestly, I don’t know if I’ll be there if they’ll be here” (laughs). Four years, though, is a long time. I hope they stay and play a lot of cricket for India, just for the sake of Indian cricket,” said Rohit.
“Honestly, both of them are marathon players for us,” he continued. They are fully capable of completing the task. You give them the ball, and they get you those breakthroughs, especially in this part of the world. With the bat, you score significant runs. Players who are crucially important to us.
“A lot of credit goes to them for where we are now and how well we performed, particularly in Indian conditions. Those two guys are largely to thank for our success. You are aware that it has been longer than a few years—more than ten, in fact. Therefore, continuing to perform as these two men have for us would take a very, very long time.
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“Honestly, both of them are marathon players for us,” he continued. They are fully capable of completing the task. You give them the ball, and they get you those breakthroughs, especially in this part of the world. With the bat, you score significant runs. Players who are crucially important to us.
“A lot of credit goes to them for where we are now and how well we performed, particularly in Indian conditions. Those two guys are largely to thank for our success. You are aware that it has been longer than a few years—more than ten, in fact. Therefore, continuing to perform as these two men have for us would take a very, very long time.
“And I can only hope that they keep playing for as long as they can, because those are definitely going to be enormous shoes to fill. I therefore hope they continue as long as they can for the benefit of Indian cricket.
In the longer format, Ashwin, who is currently 36, is India’s second-highest wicket-taker behind spin legend Anil Kumble. On the other hand, Jadeja is two years his junior.
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