Sourav Ganguly rates Jadeja’s performance in this series better than Ashwin’s

On Tuesday, Ravindra Jadeja became the third in India’s cricket history to climb up the ICC Test Rankings for Test bowlers. However, his rise to the top hasn’t surprised former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly.

Speaking to India Today, Ganguly had rated Jadeja ahead of Ashwin even before the ICC rankings were a proof of his terrific form.

“If you look at this series and the series against England, he has just started to come out of the shadow of Ashwin. Ashwin has 250 Test wickets, ahead of everyone, and is the fastest to reach that mark, but Jadeja in this series has taken the responsibility. In this series he has gone ahead of Ashwin as far as taking responsibility is concerned,” cricket turned CAB President opined.

In the third Test, Jadeja claimed 9 wickets to take his tally to 21 in the on-going series, ahead of Ashwin by 4 wickets. His efforts drew much praise from Virat Kohli after the draw.

“Jadeja’s bowling was outstanding in this match. Every bowler bowled well but according to me Jadeja stands out. For this pitch he bowled exceptionally well and showed why he has joined Ashwin as the world’s best bowler,” Virat Kohli had said.

Ganguly also believes that Jadeja is in the form of his life but can improve. He said that the last 6 months have been the best for Jadeja as a spinner in the last 4-5 years and hopefully he can carry on, as he is getting the experience. “He has played a lot of Test cricket now and hopefully he can use that experience to get better. It is bound to happen when you have been around for 4-5 years and you know you are going to play Test matches. Jadeja has been backed by MS Dhoni, he has been backed by selectors and has been backed by Virat Kohli so he has everything going for him.” Ganguly concluded.