IND vs ENG, 3rd Test: Ashwin nears historic milestone as Jadeja backs his spin partner to reach 500 Test wickets in Rajkot

It will thus be fitting to witness that Ashwin – who was left agonisingly close to crossing the 500-wicket mark in Test cricket in Visakhapatnam – is set to make history with Jadeja at home and possibly bowling from the other end.

India’s Ravindra Jadeja during the press conference ahead of the third Test against England. | Photo Credit: VIJAY SONEJI/The Hindu

For over a decade, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja have been two sides of India’s spin coin that have tossed a majority of the opposition batting line-ups around, especially while playing at home. It will thus be fitting to witness that Ashwin – who was left agonisingly close to crossing the 500-wicket mark in Test cricket in Visakhapatnam – is set to make history with Jadeja at home and possibly bowling from the other end.

“He will definitely complete his 500 wickets on this ground. I am very excited because I have been playing with him for 12-13 years and to achieve this milestone of completing 500 Test wickets is really huge,” Jadeja said here on Wednesday ahead of India’s third Test against England.

“Honestly, I thought he would complete it in the first Test but it’s okay, whatever is written in destiny… he will complete his 500 wickets in Rajkot, in my hometown,” he said.

With Jadeja having been ruled out of the second Test due to a hamstring strain that he picked while attempting a run in the series-opener, Ashwin added three wickets in the second Test in Visakhapatnam to remain on the cusp of joining former captain Anil Kumble in India’s 500-wicket club.

While Jadeja confirmed he was fit and available for the game, he admitted that he will have to look after his body in order to avoid frequent breakdowns that have been a feature in his sojourn over the last couple of years.

Besides Ashwin’s milestone, India is set to field an extremely inexperienced middle-order. To add to opener Yashasvi Jaiswal (six Tests) and middle-order bat Rajat Patidar (1 Test), India is likely to hand debuts to Sarfaraz Khan at No. 5 and wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel. Jadeja stressed that years of ploughing in at the domestic circuit would not make the newcomers nervous on the big stage.

“All these new boys are coming into the side after playing a lot of First Class cricket. These are seasoned players, they know how to play long innings and have an idea of how it goes in Test cricket,” Jadeja said.

“If they are making Test debut in Australia or South Africa, the player also lacks confidence whether they will be able to perform or not. It (India) is an ideal place for them since they have played on such wickets a lot and they have the idea of how the pitch would behave.”