Ashwin and Jadeja destroyed Australia’s batting to set up a six-wicket victory in Delhi on Sunday and give India an unassailable 2-0 lead in the four-Test series.
India’s Ravindra Jadeja (C) with teammates walks back to the pavilion after end of Australia’s innings during the third day of the second Test cricket match between India and Australia at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on 19 February 2023. Picture: Money SHARMA/AFP
NEW DELHI – The “deadly” spin duo of Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin were hailed on Monday by Indian media and pundits as they revelled in Australia’s second Test drubbing.
Ashwin and Jadeja destroyed Australia’s batting to set up a six-wicket victory in Delhi on Sunday and give India an unassailable 2-0 lead in the four-Test series.
It puts the home side on course for their fourth straight series win over the world’s top-ranked side.
Resuming day three on 61-1, Australia slumped to 113 all out before lunch with Jadeja (7/42) and Ashwin (3/59) sharing all 10 wickets, leaving India a 115-run victory target which they romped past in less than 27 overs.
“Ravindra Jadeja is brilliant. India are unstoppable. But how bad are Australia?” the Hindustan Times newspaper asked.
“The image of the famed Australian fighting spirit stood shattered” after the team’s second consecutive defeat within three days, the newspaper added.
“This isn’t an Australian team that fights. This is a team that rolls over and lets the opposition breeze past,” it said.
Six of the 10 Australian batsmen, including Steve Smith and David Warner’s concussion substitute Matt Renshaw, fell after attempting cross-batted sweep or reverse sweep shots on a tricky turning pitch with variable bounce.
India skipper Rohit Sharma said the sweep had been “not a very good option” for the visitors.
“Stepping out to the spinners was probably the safer option,” he said after the match.
The Indian Express newspaper called Jadeja and Ashwin “Yin and Yang, AC-DC, a deadly pair that cannot be unhyphenated” and “the world’s most deceptive spin act”.
It is “high time they are bracketed among the finest bowling tag-teams in history, like Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram, James Anderson and Stuart Broad, Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson,” the daily said.
Cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle described Australia as “a house of cards” after their second batting collapse in successive matches.
They have “so much to worry about and not as many options,” Bhogle added.
Sachin Tendulkar tweeted that Jadeja “literally ‘TURNED’ the match in our favour”.
The third Test starts on 1 March at Indore in central India.
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