Ashwin and Jadeja are allowed to have bad games: Rohit Sharma

In the second Test match against New Zealand in Pune, Washington Sundar led the spin attack with a flawless performance. After nearly three years, the spinning all-rounder played in a red-ball international match and took 11 wickets. However, the seasoned spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja were clearly struggling with the ball as they were unable to take wickets on a consistent basis.

Mitchell Santner claimed 13 wickets for New Zealand on a pitch that provided plenty of spin for the turners. In contrast, Ashwin took five wickets, while Jadeja took three. In reference to the pair, India’s skipper, Rohit Sharma, said that spinners are overworked. It would be “unfair” to expect them to plan a victory on their own, he added in a joke.

“Those two guys are held to an excessive amount of expectation. They are expected to win games, run through the team, and take wickets in every match they play. That is unfair, in my opinion, and it is our collective duty—not just the two men—to ensure that we win the Test matches. As reported by The Daily Star, Rohit stated at a news conference following the second Test, “Of course, by their standards, they know where they stand and what they haven’t been able to do or what they haven’t done really well.”

With one match remaining in the series, New Zealand had a 2-0 lead over India, putting them behind in the series. After an incredible 18 series victories, this was India’s first home series loss since 2012.

“One series cannot question their prowess,” Rohit continued, adding that Ashwin and Jadeja had contributed equally to the long-held run.

“Both of them have played a great deal of cricket here and have made significant contributions to our 18-series winning home streak. That has been greatly influenced by these two. I won’t delve too much into a couple of series, particularly those two guys…

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They are occasionally permitted to play a few terrible games without acting as though this is their chance to outplay the rival. Not every time will that occur. Therefore, you and the other guys must be prepared to step in,” he continued.