Virat Kohli explains why Ravindra Jadeja was picked over Ravinchandran Ashwin

Ravichandran Ashwin grabbed all the headlines when he was dropped from the playing XI for the first Test against West Indies. His fans weren’t impressed with Virat Kohli dropping him and going for Ravindra Jadeja instead. Furthermore, there were also rumours about a possible rift between the Indian captain and the ace off-spinner. However, these eased down when both Virat and Ashwin shared pictures with each other on social media after the game.

Yet, the off-spinner, despite his excellent record in the West Indies, was dropped for the second Test as well. This raised quite a few questions about Kohli’s captaincy tactics. However, the 30-year-old has decided to clear all the misconceptions himself. After the series win, Virat Kohli explained why Jadeja was chosen instead of Ashwin.

With Ravindra Jadeja, we can bank on his control

As a part of his reasoning, Virat Kohli said that they can bank on Ravindra Jadeja’s control. Moreover, he added that the southpaw is the most consistent and accurate bowler in away games. He said that it will trouble the batsman when the ball is being pitched in the same area where there is a possibility of getting a wicket even though there isn’t much turn on offer. Kohli termed this to be the USP of Ravindra Jadeja and gave this as the reason why he was picked ahead of Ravichandran Ashwin.

“With Jadeja, we can bank on control. He is the most consistent and accurate bowler in away games. There is a reason why he is constantly playing in the XI. Even if the wicket is not supporting, he gives you control. As a batsman, when the bowler is pitching the ball in areas where you can get out constantly even if it is not turning so much, he is always in the game and that’s his USP,” he told reporters.

Moreover, he said that Jadeja is in a great zone right now. When all the three departments of the game are considered, Virat feels that there is nobody better than the Saurashtra cricketer in the world.

“With the bat, ball and field – there is nobody better than him in the world. He is in a great zone right now and willing to contribute for the team. And he wants the ball, he wants to do the job,” Kohli reasoned.