'If we play well against those two (Ashwin, Jadeja), we'll generally find ourselves in a better position compared to when they've had a field day and run through us.'
India included two debutants -- Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy -- while leaving out Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.
'Hunting in pairs' is an often-used maxim about fast bowlers, but Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja have given a new spin to it, consistently troubling the opposition in more ways than one.
Nayar believes that the whole team has bought into Rohit and Gambhir's philosophy, including the two spin greats.
'He is definitely much more mature and he knows the value of his place in the Indian team, 2-3 years of not being there.' 'He will now look to take care of his body much more. He has developed from a youngster to a responsible person now.' 'He knows what he needs to do, to succeed at the highest level.'
'What they bring to the table (can) never be written off.'
The dream run began with the pair of Ashwin, who made his debut in November 2011, and Jadeja, who played his first Test in December 2012, coming together to form a lethal spin combination.
During the first Test against England in Hyderabad, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja surpassed the iconic pair of Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh as the most successful Test bowling duo for India.
The duo collected 16 wickets in the Delhi Test to add to their 15 in the first Test at Nagpur as India took a 2-0 lead in the four-Test series.
I never thought about playing Test cricket, believed white ball was my forte: Jadeja
RCB will have to tweak their team composition to suit the demands of the Chepauk pitch in their second IPL match against CSK, said Shane Watson.
Ashwin was spotted enjoying a leisurely time with team-mates and coaching staff during a trip to Titou Gorge in Dominica.
Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja are India's stormtroopers at home, tossing over opponents like pioneer dolls and their numbers validate their supremacy too.
The retirement of Ravichandran Ashwin has opened the door for other spin all-rounders to step up, and Vidyut is confident that Washington Sundar could be the one to watch.
'The 2018 series win in Australia stands out in his captaincy.'
'When people look at Kohli, they see a boy from Delhi who is taking on the Aussies in their own backyard and aspire to be like him.' 'Players like Jadeja and Ashwin lack this quotient.'
Zak Crawley said England's upcoming tour to India in January-March 2024 presents them with an 'amazing opportunity' to showcase 'Bazball'.
Bangladesh are expecting that batting coach Neil McKenzie will help them decode the Indian spinners.
Rohit had no hesitation in admitting that Ashwin and Jadeja have been the primary reasons for India's success in the last decade.
India dominates ICC Test Rankings
Rohit's numbers with the willow has been a bit underwhelming during the five home Tests but those were played on difficult tracks.
Ravindra Jadeja, Rishabh Pant and pacer Mohammed Siraj too faced local bowlers and significant amount of throwdowns.
Australian legends Adam Gilchrist and David Warner have little doubt that Indian players' psyche would have been scarred after the recent whitewash at home by New Zealand,
'Obviously, he's a guy who has scored 9,000-plus Test runs, which is pretty mind-blowing, but for us it was a huge wicket.'
Ravindra Jadeja struck a career-best 70 not out as he and his lower order colleagues earned India a substantial 71-run first innings lead by lunch on the third day of the third Test against England on Monday. - Scorecard: The hosts were 354 for seven at the break with Jayant Yadav batting on 26, the pair having already amassed 53 runs for their flourishing eighth-wicket partnership.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for the third Test against Australia in Brisbane?
Anil Kumble expressed his disappointment with India's humiliating 0-3 whitewash against New Zealand, particularly criticising the team's top-order batting and the questionable pitch preparation.
As many as four world-class match-winners are expected to bid adieu to the game one by one in the next couple of years and Gautam Gambhir is in an unenviable position as head coach.
'Obviously, he brings a lot of good things to the Test side. Not only from the batting point of view, but from the keeping point of view as well.'
India would want their big guns Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to fire when the mighty hosts aim for a clean sweep against a beleaguered Bangladesh in the second and final Test starting in Kanpur on Friday.
Sourav Ganguly believes Rishabh Pant is on course to become an all-time great in Test cricket.
IMAGES from the first Test, Day 1 between India and Bangladesh played at the Chepauk in Chennai on Thursday
Arun acknowledged that newcomers Kuldeep and Chahal have done exceptionally well because wrist spinners do not rely overtly on pitches and conditions.
India and New Zealand will fight it out for the inaugural title at Southampton's Ageas Bowl
'At every venue, how many runs they get in the first innings, will be crucial.'
Jasprit Bumrah's throbbing afternoon spell on the second day of the second Test against England in Visakhapatnam on Saturday made former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly advocating for sporting pitches rather than preparing rank turners.
South Africa's most experienced spinner Keshav Maharaj wants to be as consistent as the seasoned Indian duo of Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin during the upcoming three-Test series.
Rajneesh Gupta surveys the cricketing milestones from the Mohali Test.
Half-centuries by Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ravichandran Ashwin kept India on course for a first innings lead after England made a spirited comeback on day two of the third Test on Sunday. - Scorecard: Having bowled out England for 283 earlier in the morning, India looked in charge at 148-2 at tea before Adil Rashid's double strike jolted the hosts who lost three wickets in 19 balls to slump to 156-5.
Skipper Ben Stokes expressed pride in how England have fought toe to toe with India despite not having 'a chance in hell of competing' with the hosts.
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