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Ashwin, a regular at the IPL, has stayed out of the shorter formats since July 2017. The same was true for Ravindra Jadeja, but he has replayed all three formats, largely due to his general abilities.
“The class is permanent, whether you play with your fingers or your wrist. Your reading skills and abilities in the game matter a lot. I was surprised when Ashwin was sidelined for a day of cricket,” said Saqlain, the inventor. from ‘Doosra’. PTI
“He knows how to get the batter out in the five-day game, which is much more difficult than limited cricket. Anyone can do the containment job, but someone who knows how to take wickets can also contain. He knows both. How can you keep him out? You have to support your best players. ”
Looking for more variety, selectors opted for spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal after the 2017 Trophy of Champions. Both have settled in limited cricket, but have not appeared in all eleven together since the 2019 World Cup.
Although Ashwin is still India’s number one spinner at home, he is not a sure starter in overseas testing. He was sent to the two-test series in the West Indies last year, garnered a lot of attention, and most recently, he played one test in New Zealand in the two-game series with Jadeja playing the other.
“They put Bhajji (Harbhajan Singh) aside at Ashwin’s expense back then. After Ashwin, you’ve tried many spin-offs but none of them have been of their kind.”
“In fact, I was surprised when he dropped a great guy like Bhajji. Both Ashwin and Bhajji have different styles and could have easily played together in game eleven. If two right-hand pacemakers can play regularly, why not the spinners? ” Saqlain asked.
“Such was the kind of Bhajji that he could have easily taken 700 test wickets (he finished 413 wickets in 103 tests),” he said, referring to Harbhajan, who is in the twilight of his career and plays only the IPL.
Saqlain was part of a world-class bowling attack, but now Pakistan has no spinning pedigree. The 43-year-old feels that India, which is much stronger than Pakistan at the moment, unlike its time, still possesses quality spinners despite the departure of Anil Kumble and Harbhajan.
“The spinners you have are pretty good actually. Kuldeep has been impressive, Ashwin and Jadeja have been consistently good. They are world-class bowlers. In fact, Pakistan is struggling a bit on that front. Yasir Shah has done well. , but its form has recently submerged. Shadab is still a work in progress.
“I’m pretty sure Ashwin and Jadeja will end up playing 100 tests each,” said Saqlain.
Like his former teammates Shoaib Akhtar and Shahif Afridi, Saqlain also feels that India and Pakistan should resume their cricket rivalry.
Akhtar’s proposal for an India-Pakistan series to raise funds to fight the COVID-19 pandemic in both countries has been criticized by big names like Kapil Dev. India did not need the money, Kapil had said.
However, Saqlain played down the financial factor.
“What do you call athletes? Do you call them heroes and what is their job? Their job is to do good deeds. Winning and losing is part of the game. Cricket is not war. That is why I believe that cricket should be played between two. countries.
“To say that Pakistan cricket will suffer for not playing India is not the correct way to see this. The overall picture is that the game should be promoted on both sides. And if we play, there is a chance that relations will improve.”
He recalled an experience that made him realize the power of sport.
“Sachin and Shane Warne had organized All Stars parties in the United States (in 2015). They will not believe I saw a flag in the colors of the flags of India and Pakistan. An Indian and a Pakistani were holding that together.”
“It brought the two nations closer together. I would ask the ICC to investigate this. Financially too, it is a mutual benefit to BCCI and PCB. The series is much larger than the Ashes,” Saqlain signed.
